In the second half of the 20th century, men and women of uncommon vision and commitment drove the phenomenal growth of that uniquely American institution of higher education, the community college. Students of this movement are well aware of the contributions of the men who served as college presidents, researchers, and national leaders but what women made significant contributions that have not before been brought to light?Mildred Montag envisioned and implemented community-college based programs to train nurses. Dorothy Knoell used her prodigious research skills to show that community colleges prepare students well to succeed after transfer. Mildred Bulpitt and Carolyn Desjardins helped create and run leadership workshops that resulted in hundreds of women moving up the administrative pipeline. And a dynamic group of women were behind the successful replication of community-based colleges through the establishment of the American Indian tribal colleges.These stories and a dozen more are captured in this book. Those who are familiar with community colleges will welcome having these stories documented at last, and those new to the field will be inspired by how these women came to exert such unexpected influence on these remarkable educational institutions.

Anne-Marie McCartan worked in the field of higher education for 40 years, many of those with community colleges at the campus and state-policy level. Most recently she served as executive director of the national Council of Colleges of Arts& Sciences.

PrefaceAcknowledgementsIntroductionPart I: Setting the StagePart II: ProfilesMargaret Mosal: Champion for High-Achieving StudentsMildred Montag: Innovator in Nursing EducationJane Matson: Mentor for Student Development PersonnelDorothy Knoell: Respected ResearcherMarie Y. Martin: Federal AdvocateK. Patricia Cross: Influential Writer and SpeakerJanet Lieberman: Serving At-Risk YouthConnie Sutton Odems: National Association LeadershipMildred Bulpitt and Carolyn Desjardins: Developing Women LeadersSuanne Roueche: Celebrating Teaching ExcellenceWilhelmina Delco: Giving Voice to Educations UnderrepresentedWomen of the Tribal Colleges: Extending the ModelPart III: ReflectionsAppendix A: MethodologyAppendix B: AcronymsAppendix C: Interviews with AuthorReferencesAbout the AuthorIndex