EDITORIAL.

Do you believe in miracles? Do you cheer when a story ends in "they lived happily ever after"? Or, do you think it is possible for an institution to be "all things to all people"? If you answered "yes", "maybe", or even "sometimes" to the questions above, you are likely a promoter and a believer in the community college system and the authors within this special edition of AEQ have written their articles, essays, and research reports for you.

Allow me to become a bit autobiographical and explain my special relationship to the community college and in so doing, make it clear WHY I volunteered to perform this labor of love. Like most Americans, I grew up in a home where money was not plentiful. I wanted to go to college but did not understand the financial aid system (the very idea of large loans sends waves of fear through most first-generation college students and their families). Hence my first association with the community college was as a young student earning my liberal arts credits. My second association with the community college soon followed as I elected to take an additional course during the summer between my junior and senior years while attending a 4-year liberal arts college. In taking the course at the community college, I saved a great deal of tuition money and used my summer to gain an academic edge.

Move the story ahead to a young woman, now equipped with a bachelor's degree but disillusioned with the relatively few doors that the coveted degree opened. I was educated, but not job-ready. The solution of course, was a return to the community college. As a reverse transfer student, I enrolled in a vocational program of electronics technology and began my third association with the community college - as a vocational education student.

My fourth association with the community college came a little later when I was in need of a part-time job. I was hired to teach at the same community college I attended as a student. My experiences, this time on the other side of the desk, helped me to understand the inner-workings of an institution as well as to deepen my appreciation even further. A lifelong relationship was brewing and I knew it.

Indeed, my fifth association with the community college can only be described as a continuing zest for lifelong learning. As an adult I return to the community college periodically for enrichment and enjoyment. I have taken adult education courses in Spanish, dancing, and parenting. When one is in need of knowledge or recreation, the community college is there to provide a service.

I am presently deeply involved in my sixth association with the community college. As a professor of higher education at the University of Southern California, I elected to chair a doctoral-level program specifically designed for community college teachers. In addition to teaching the teachers, I perform research to discover ways to increase college access as well as transfer and retention rates. Although my livelihood depends on the university, my career remains deeply entrenched with community colleges.

Indeed there is a seventh association with the community college. Historically, the number seven has been used to signify perfection. There are seven days in a week, Seven Wonders of the World, seven colors in the rainbow, seven seas, and seven continents. The term "Seventh Heaven", first used in a 1927 silent movie about a lonely Parisian sewer worker who found pleasure and love with a street waif, is used frequently to describe the ultimate in satisfaction. Aptly my seventh association with the community college is being the subject editor of this special issue of AEQ. It is my "seventh heaven" because I have been able to gather articles pertaining to each of my associations with the community college. For example:

1. Liberal Arts Education Ken Borland's Community Liberation via the First Two Years' Curriculum makes an argument to promote liberal education within the community college. Also, the description of the Keystone Mathematics Project by Siadat, Musial, and Sagher describes the important role of remediation within the liberal arts curriculum.

2. Summer Sessioner The article by Consuelo Rey Castro and me is a study of why four-year college students continue to return to the community college in the summer.

3. Vocational Education Although Samuel Cotton's study does not take place specifically in a community college, it addresses the needs of vocational education.

4. Instruction The team of Cambiano, De Vore, and Denny offer a study pertaining to learning style preference of adult students. Secondly, the article by Deborah Bice also provides some insight to the classroom. Technology and distance education are sure to be a growing part of community college instruction. For that reason, the study by Beverly Bower - community college student satisfaction with the online and teleclass experience - is timely and welcomed.

5. Lifelong learning Several of the articles in this edition pertain to the on-going and complex role of the community college. Specifically, Fran Newman's article on the role of student services and Patrick Dilley's piece on diversity both speak to the need to serve all students regardless of circumstance or educational goal.

6. Professional The community college shares many aspects with colleges in general. Thus, the research to increase retention is largely applicable. Thus it is important to be mindful of studies such as that presented by the team of Donald Lifton, Sandra Seay, and Andrew Bushko. Their study on student "hardiness" should be taken seriously by both the community college and the four-year college research communities.

7. Seventh Heaven Finally there are articles in this edition that attest to the many faces of the community college. If you ever wondered about the community colleges of Hawaii, you now have a wonderful description written by Teresa Makuakane-Drechsel and Gail Makuakane-Lundin. Berta Virgil Laden describes and studies the successful community-college based program, Puente, dedicated to assist students to obtain postsecondary education. Lynn Pierce describes service learning at her institution. In addition, we hear from the research team of Charles Outcalt, Barbara Tobolowsky, and Patricia McDonough who examine the educational pathways specifically for African American and Latino students. Finally, Athena Perrakis sums it up by giving voice to her community college students.

As you read through these articles and the others included in this special edition, I urge you to consider the enormous role of the community college in American society in general and in your own life in specific. In closing allow me to remind you that as an institution the community college is very young. The first college, Joliet Junior College, was established in 1901. In its first century of existence, the concept has become an American mainstay. Today community colleges enroll about a third of all college students and serve over 60% of the nation's first and second year college students. The community college has been called the "Ellis Island of Higher Education" because of its service to new entrants to the system. I invite you to continue the tradition of The Many Faces of the Community College by writing of your own experiences (both positive and negative) and submitting them to AE Extra (AEQ's online counterpart) for online publication. Entries should be sent to the editor of AE Extra: Athena Perrakis at <[e-mail]>. It is your turn to speak out!

Linda Serra Hagedorn, Ph.D Subject Editor