Hiring, retention, compensation, employee well-being, leadership development, and career growth: these workforce conversations run through every corner of higher education, including community colleges.
At the same time, community college members often bring a specific context to those conversations. Their institutions are closely tied to local communities and regional workforce needs. Their teams may be smaller, roles broader, and hiring may involve competing with both higher education and industry employers. They may also be thinking about succession planning, adjunct and part-time talent, and how to make practical resources work within their campus structures.
That is why HERC is growing its support for community college members through a new Community College Initiative. Over the past few months, we have been developing new ways for community college members to connect, share resources, and shape future programming. We’re also working with community college professionals across the HERC membership to build tailored resources and support that address issues unique to the community college experience.
The Community College Roundtable Series
In May, we launched the inaugural Community College Roundtable, What Works, What's Missing, What's Next, bringing together professionals from community colleges across our membership to talk candidly about what is working in their institutions, where the gaps are, and what support would actually make a difference.
The conversation made the differences tangible: participants described juggling smaller teams, broader roles, and hiring pipelines that compete directly with local industry, all while meeting immediate campus needs with limited resources.
The next Community College Roundtable will take place in the Fall 2026 programming season, so keep an eye on the Events page!
Coming Soon: A Dedicated Space on HERConnect
We are creating a dedicated community within HERConnect, a home base where members from community colleges can share resources, ask questions, and build their community of practice with colleagues across the country who understand the realities of the community colleges.
Community College Workforce Intelligence
HERC’s Higher Ed Workforce Survey (formerly the Higher Ed Job Seeker Survey) has become a key resource for our members. For the first time, we will also release a Community College Special Report.
The report will draw from the 2026 survey data to look more closely at the community college workforce experience, including where community college responses align with broader higher education trends and where patterns point to more specific needs or opportunities.
This is just the beginning. Community college members are getting a clearer, more connected line of support from HERC, and we could not be more excited to keep building it. Join us for the next Roundtable this fall, keep an eye out for the HERConnect community launch, and watch for the Community College Special Report later this season. We look forward to continuing this work together, so community college professionals have what they need to keep showing up for the communities they serve.
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