Designing Community Colleges for Today’s Learners

Community colleges are being redesigned for the new majority of learners — working adults, parents, and career shifters. Presidents Kate Smith (Rio Salado College) and Janet Spriggs (Forsyth Tech) explain how.

Why it matters:

The traditional “full-time, first-time” student is no longer the norm. Colleges must adapt at the speed of innovation.

The shift:

• Short, stackable learning “buckets” let students earn skills in weeks, get a raise, and return later to keep climbing.
• Employers help co-design programs from day one — not after the fact.
• Durable skills (communication, teamwork, critical thinking + AI fluency) are now core currency.
• Local customization + nationally scalable models can coexist.

The goal:

Pathways that lead to family-sustaining wages and give learners lifelong on-ramps and off-ramps as jobs evolve.

The mindset change:

Move beyond tradition. Build workforce and learning ecosystems together with the industry. Collaborate, don’t compete. Share what works so more students can move out of poverty and into opportunity.

Bottom line:

Community colleges are positioned to lead the future — if they stay flexible, employer-aligned, and relentlessly learner-first.