Perspective | Demonstrating relevance through action

Editor’s note: This article was originally published in the August/September 2026 edition of the Community College Journal.

Community colleges have always understood something that much of higher education is now being forced to rediscover: Some of the most important learning does not happen solely inside a classroom.

It happens in hospitals during a clinical rotation. It happens at a manufacturing facility alongside a mentor. It happens in an apprenticeship, on a farm, at a fire training ground or in a small business where a student is learning not only technical skills, but responsibility, professionalism, communication, and confidence.

For many of our students, learning is deeply connected to life itself. They are balancing coursework with work schedules, family responsibilities, military service, transportation challenges, and financial pressures. Particularly in rural communities, education is rarely an abstract exercise. It is directly connected to whether someone can improve their circumstances, support a family, or remain in the community they call home.

As I begin my term as chair of the American Association of Community Colleges board of directors, I believe this moment presents both an opportunity and a responsibility for our sector.

Public confidence in higher education has declined significantly in recent years. Those of us in higher education know this. We hear it from policymakers, employers, parents, and communities. But community colleges continue to maintain strong public trust for a simple reason: People can see our impact.

They see the nurse caring for patients in a local hospital. They see the welder helping expand a manufacturing operation. They see the paramedic responding during an emergency. They see the adult learner who earns a credential and changes the trajectory of a family in a single generation.

Community colleges have remained trusted because we have stayed close to people. Close to workforce needs. Close to employers. Close to communities. And close to outcomes that matter in everyday life.

That does not mean we should be complacent. In fact, I believe the opposite is true.

If community colleges are to remain trusted institutions, we must continue demonstrating relevance through action. We must continue strengthening workforce partnerships, expanding work-based learning opportunities, supporting rural and underserved communities, and ensuring students can connect education directly to opportunity and economic mobility.

We must also resist the temptation to define learning too narrowly.

Learning beyond the classroom is not simply an “added experience.” In many ways, it is where education becomes real. It is where students begin to see themselves differently. It is where confidence is built, purpose is discovered, and classroom knowledge becomes practical capability.

As a first-generation college student and community college graduate, I understand personally the transformative power of institutions that meet students where they are and help move them toward where they want to be.

That mission has never mattered more than it does today.

At a time when many Americans are questioning institutions, community colleges have an opportunity to lead not through rhetoric, but through results. Through relationships. Through responsiveness. Through the visible and lasting impact we make in the lives of students and communities every day.

That is not only the future of community colleges. I believe it is one of the strongest paths forward for higher education itself.

If we remain close to our communities, responsive to workforce needs, and committed to opportunity for all students, community colleges will continue to demonstrate what higher education at its best can and should be: relevant, trusted, and transformational.