This is the first comprehensive and contemporary history of the largest and most diverse public system of higher education in the United States. Serving over 2 million students annually—approximately one-quarter of the nation's community college undergraduates—California’s 116 community colleges play an indispensable role in career and transfer education in North America and have maintained an outsized influence on the evolution of postsecondary education nationally. A College for All Californians chronicles the sector's emergence from K–12 institutions, its evolving mission and growth following World War II and the G.I. Bill For Education, the expansion of its ever-broadening mission, and its essential role in the 1960 Master Plan for Higher Education. Chapters cover California’s junior and community colleges’ development, mission, governance, faculty, finances, athletics, student support services, and more. It also examines the successes and ongoing political, financial, and educational challenges confronting this uniquely American educational experiment. Book Features: Encapsulates the evolution and contemporary status of our nation’s largest and most diverse undergraduate education system.Examines how the colleges were influenced by the political, economic, and social issues of the day.Includes new historical information affecting postsecondary education in California.Analyzes some of the most important current and emerging issues that will continue to influence California’s community colleges. Contributors: Carlos O. Turner Cortez, Michelle Fischthal, Jonathan Lightman, Jessica Luedtke, David W. Morse, Joe Newmyer, Mark Robinson, Leslie M. Salas.

This is the first comprehensive and contemporary history of the largest and most diverse public system of higher education in the United States. Serving over 2 million students annually--approximately one-quarter of the nation's community college undergraduates--California's 116 community colleges play an indispensable role in career and transfer education in North America and have maintained an outsized influence on the evolution of postsecondary education nationally. A College for All Californians chronicles the sector's emergence from K-12 institutions, its evolving mission and growth following World War II and the G.I. Bill For Education, the expansion of its ever-broadening mission, and its essential role in the 1960 Master Plan for Higher Education. Chapters cover California's junior and community colleges' development, mission, governance, faculty, finances, athletics, student support services, and more. It also examines the successes and ongoing political, financial, and educational challenges confronting this uniquely American educational experiment. Book Features: Encapsulates the evolution and contemporary status of our nation's largest and most diverse undergraduate education system. Examines how the colleges were influenced by the political, economic, and social issues of the day. Includes new historical information affecting postsecondary education in California. Analyzes some of the most important current and emerging issues that will continue to influence California's community colleges.

THE DREAM: Forty years ago, Californians sought to transform the dream of a college education into a reality available to every citizen. Guided by the state's famous Master Plan for Higher Education, Californians committed themselves to developing the most affordable, accessible, diverse and highly respected system of higher education in the United States. Today the state's universities and colleges, both public and private, are one of California's greatest resources, essential to continued economic strength, social progress, and individual opportunity. THE CHALLENGE Yet, despite recent increases in state funding, California's system of higher education stands on the verge of crisis. A "tidal wave" of new students, 500,000 more than are enrolled today, will seek admission to the state's colleges and universities by the year 2010. Apart from hopes that good financial times will continue throughout "Tidal Wave II," the state has no plan to accommodate or pay for this wave of new students. Without a realistic plan that will work in good and bad financial times, California will not be able to preserve the promise of higher education to all who qualify. The state will have to limit access to college, reduce the quality of institutions, and raise student charges beyond the means of many Californians. THE COMMISSION'S RECOMMENDATIONS After two years of intensive study, the Commission strongly and unanimously recommends that California make major changes to improve its policies for higher education and adopt a comprehensive plan to ensure enrollment space for new students, while maintaining the highest levels of quality throughout the system. Above all, the Commission believes that California must make a long-term commitment to become a state of learning, where access, quality, affordability, diversity, innovation and cooperation will be the hallmarks of higher education.

"California Crackup is brilliant. It cuts through the familiar tangle of diagnoses and quick-fix solutions to provide a comprehensive and persuasive analysis of California's dysfunctional governmental system. Paul and Mathews have coolly laid out a complicated story, made it readable, sometimes even comedic. It is the best discussion of the issue I've seen in over three decades."--Peter Schrag, author of California: America's High-Stakes Experiment "I know of no other work that combines so succinctly and enjoyably a historical summary of California's existing problems with such a sweeping and provocative program of reform."--Ethan Rarick, University of California, Berkeley "Mark Paul and Joe Mathews have produced an indispensable guide to California's crisis of governance--and they have done so with humor, scholarship, fairness and storytelling verve. Every Californian should read this book."--Steve Coll, Pulitzer Prize-winning author of Ghost Wars "Mark Paul... has a talent for presenting California Big Think stuff in an easily accessible and always readable way...[offering] clear and creative insights on the subject of California's collapse."--CalBuzz "Joe Mathews has done an artful, fascinating, and convincing job of connecting the California of today's Schwarzenegger era to the long history that made his rise possible.--James Fallows,The Atlantic Monthly on Mathews' book, The People's Machine

Previously published as part of The Insider's Guide to the Colleges, 2011. For more than thirty-five years, The Insider's Guide to the Colleges has been the favorite resource of high school students across the country because it is the only comprehensive college reference researched and written by students for students. In interviews with hundreds of peers on campuses, our writers have sought out the inside scoop at every school on everything from the nightlife and professors to the newest dorms and wildest student organizations. Now, we've compiled these in-depth profiles of colleges life for California colleges, full of Essential statistics for every school, from acceptance rates to the most popular majors, FYI sections with student opinions, outrageous off-the-cuff advice and more! The Insider's Guide to the Colleges of California cuts through the piles of brochures to get to the things that matter most to students, and by staying on top of trends and attitudes it delivers the straight talk students and parents need to choose the school that's the best fit.

Californians can earn college degrees or certificates or get job-related training at a variety of institutions both public and private, throughout the state. The variety of institutions, programs, degrees and other educational choices is wide. This Guide will help individuals identify options that suit their needs. This guide is divided into three parts designed for locating information about higher education in a number of ways. Part I lists the names of the campuses individuals are considering attending. All of California's degree-granting colleges and universities are described and listed in alphabetical order under the following six categories: (1) California Community Colleges; (2) The California State University; (3) University of California; (4) Other Public Institutions; (5) Independent Colleges and Universities; and (6) Private State-Approved and Exempt Institutions. Part II contains specific programs--such as Journalism or Computer Engineering. Institutions that offer each program are listed under that heading. Part III is an index. Individuals can use this section to locate schools, programs, towns with campuses, military bases with off-campus centers, and virtually any other topic covered in this Guide.