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STEM AND THE COMMUNITY COLLEGE Community Colleges as the Starting Point Certifi cation, however, is old news. What's new at some community colleges are the facilities and programs available to earn two-year degrees and the level of preparedness they impart on their stu- dents. For instance, Montgomery College, Rockville Campus in Rockville, MD, offers an articulation agreement to their some 1,300 declared science majors in 10 differ- ent areas of engineering. "Students complete 60 credits here and then all 60 transfer to our partner schools," reports Muhammad Kehnemouyi, Ph.D. PE, professor and chair, Department of Physics, Engineering, and Geosciences, Rockville Campus, Montgomery College. The list of partner schools proves impres- sive: University of Maryland, Georgia Tech, MIT, and The George Washington University. Gone is the stigma of spending the fi rst two years in a community college. In fact, it might turn to an advantage as class sizes are smaller, teachers are often professors as opposed to teaching assistants, and the cost is a fraction of other schools. "Carn- egie Mellon is $40,000 a year while we are $4,000," says Kehnemouyi. Not only do students pay less, they accomplish more. "Ninety-six percent of our students gradu- ate with a degree." Designing and Building for STEM Community colleges are building new, multifaceted facilities to fi ll this niche. "The level of buildings is trending toward the complex and even the exotic," says Michael Reagan, vice president, Stantec. "We just completed a science building on the Virginia Beach campus of the Tidewater Community College system that has a planetarium." "These spaces are not very fl exible and they are expensive to build and operate," adds Mike Carter, principal, Stantec. "Yet schools are making the investment." They are also realizing the importance of "soft" spaces with breakout areas, lounges, and cafeterias appearing more and more often. ISN'T THAT SPECIAL. College graduates seeking STEM careers today are expected to have interdisciplinary knowledge, but the science education they receive is often incompatible with the emerging needs in STEM-related re- search and industry. To solve that disconnect, community colleges are making the investment in specialized spaces and facilities for STEM education. These hands-on, real- world spaces are providing the framework for stronger STEM education. The result? "The Health Science Building on the Westshore campus for the Cuyahoga Community College system was designed to accommodate student growth for three to four years before it topped out on capac- 20 COLLEGE PLANNING & MANAGEMENT / NOVEMBER 2012 ity," continues Carter. "It was over capacity on opening day." If you build it, they will come, even at the most unlikely hours. "Montgomery College is offering a lab at 1 A.M.," reports John Knickmeyer, prin- cipal, Stantec. "Community colleges are great at putting bodies in seats and using their buildings at all times." Getting Students to Success Yet these successes are not found across the board. "I fi nd articulation of credits is still rather disorganized," laments Mellado. "It's getting better, but the transfer rate remains low in my experiences." Mellado points to lack of student readiness at the high school level as a reason. "Students often don't know their defi ciencies until they reach college." Elaine Craft, director, SC ATE Center of Excellence, Florence-Darlington Technical College in Florence, SC, sees the same prob- lem and is attacking it in multiple ways. "We have a Department of Education Title III Grant to change the way we are getting students ready for STEM programs," she says. The fi rst is getting their reading up to speed. "Scientifi c texts are dense. You can't skim them, and if you skip a word it might change a concept," continues Craft. "It's very different than reading literature." Along with reading and communication, students in the Florence-Darlington Tech- nology Gateway program solve industry- based, real-world problems that require them to use math, physics, and technology. "These classes used to be taught in unimagi- native, out-of-context ways that were frankly demeaning," says Craft. "Our new method engages students, addresses multiple intel- ligences and learning styles, and creates self-directed, lifelong learners." Craft also brings back successful gradu- ates to mentor students. "When peers come back with a good paying job and talk about how they use math and physics every day, it's a powerful message," concludes Craft. "There's nothing like hearing it from the horse's mouth." CPM WWW.PLANNING4EDUCATION.COM