Prevention at Community Colleges

Community colleges play an important role in the nation’s system of postsecondary education. According to the American Association of Community Colleges (AACC), with an enrollment of 12.4 million students in 1,167 public and independent community colleges, their students represent 44 percent of the college student population nationwide. AACC describes community colleges as “ . . . an American invention that put publicly funded higher education at close-to-home facilities, beginning nearly 100 years ago with Joliet Junior College. . . . Community colleges are community-based institutions of higher education that serve all segments of society through an open-access admissions.” Recognizing the importance of community colleges in preparing Americans for careers in current and emerging industries, the Obama administration has made them an integral component of its strategy to kick-start the economy.

According to the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism, community college students drink less heavily than do students attending four-year colleges and universities. There are several possible explanations for this difference. First, community college students tend to be older, and they more often work full-time, have children, or live with their parents. In addition, community colleges are less likely to have fraternities and sororities or large intercollegiate athletics programs, which are features of college life that are also known to increase the likelihood of alcohol and other drug problems on campus.

While there are a number of similarities among community colleges and four-year colleges and universities, especially with commuter campuses, there are also a number of differences, such as the absence of student residential facilities; open enrollment; and a more diverse student body, with greater numbers of returning and older students, and veterans, as well as students in recovery from alcoholism or other drug addiction. In addition, unlike students on four-year campuses, the majority of community college students are enrolled part-time. These characteristics have implications for implementing health and safety programming at community colleges.