Community college

A community college is a type of educational institution. The term can have different meanings in different countries.

Australia

In Australia, the term community college is not used. Analogous to community colleges are colleges or institutes of Technical and Further Education (TAFEs); institutions mostly regulated at state and territory level. There are also an increasing number of private providers of varying social esteem; often these are colloquially called "colleges".

TAFEs and other providers carry on the tradition of adult education, which was established in Australia around mid 19th century when evening classes were held to help adults enhance their numeracy and literacy skills. The majority of Australian universities can also be traced back to such forerunners, although obtaining a university charter has always changed their nature. In TAFEs and colleges today, courses are designed for personal development of an individual and/or for employment outcomes. Educational programs cover a variety of topics such as arts, languages, business and lifestyle; and are usually timetabled to be conducted in the evenings or weekends to accommodate people working full-time. Funding for colleges may come from government grants and course fees; and many are not-for-profit organisations. There are located in metropolitan, regional and rural locations of Australia.

Capital Community College

Capital Community College is a community college in Hartford, Connecticut, United States. The only public undergraduate institution in the City of Hartford, Capital's roots date to 1967 with the founding of Greater Hartford Community College. In 1992 Capital merged with Hartford State Technical College to become Capital Community-Technical College in a state-mandated consolidation. In 2000, the College's name was changed to Capital Community College.

The College, which has earned reaccreditation from the New England Association of Schools and Colleges (NEASC) in 2007, enrolls 3,661 students (Spring 2007) and is one of the most ethnically diverse campuses in New England. Sixty-seven percent of students are African American and Latino. Its programs of study include the Associate Degree in Nursing—the largest degree program for the preparation of Registered Nurses in the State of Connecticut.

The college made a significant step in helping the redevelopment in downtown Hartford by opening up a new campus at the former G. Fox & Co. department store on Main Street in the heart of downtown. The 1,913,000-square-foot (177,700 m²) building served as the home of the department store until it closed in 1993. The entire building was renovated and in 2002 the college moved into the building as well as numerous state and city offices and numerous retail clients on the ground level.