ABSTRACT
Since their phenomenal expansion in the 1960s, community colleges have grown with unique missions that emphasize open access, local commitments, and workforce preparation. We argue that each has always had a foundation in global competency and that education abroad, specifi - cally, helps to secure these skills. However, the key education abroad issues identifi ed by Freeman (1966) are the same issues defi ned by Hess (1982) in the fi rst book that focused exclusively on community college education abroad. Twenty-six years later, these issues are still being cited by community college leadership (Institute of International Education [IIE], 2007): Thriving education abroad programs must have (1) support from the chief administrative offi cer; (2) commitment from faculty; and (3) a specifi c coordinator position with a centrally placed and staff ed offi ce. Those distinctive characteristics that defi ne community colleges: a community-fi rst mission, nontraditional students, an institutional culture built on making do with limited funding, stakeholder confl icts, and a sometimes parochial orientation, are the same issues that separate community colleges from their university counterparts, even urban universities with a largely urban commuter student body.
