Founded in 1920, the American Association of Community Colleges (AACC) has, over nine decades, become the leading proponent and the national "voice for community colleges." The association was conceived when a group of presidents representing public and independent junior colleges met in St. Louis, Missouri, for a meeting called by the U.S. commissioner of education. Originally named the American Association of Junior Colleges (AAJC), the association was to function as a forum for the nation's two-year colleges.
In 1972, the name of the national organization was changed to the American Association of Community and Junior Colleges (AACJC), reflecting the community orientation of most public, two-year institutions. In 1992, the association’s name was simplified to its present form.
Today, the association represents nearly 1,200 two-year, associate degree–granting institutions and more than 13 million students, as well as a growing number of international members in Puerto Rico, Japan, Great Britain, Korea, and the United Arab Emirates. The colleges are the largest and fastest-growing sector of U.S. higher education, enrolling close to half (45 percent) of all U.S. undergraduates.
Headquartered in the National Center for Higher Education in Washington, D.C., AACC is the primary advocacy organization for community colleges at the national level and works closely with directors of state offices to inform and affect state policy. In addition, AACC is a member of "The Six" large, presidentially based associations and collaborates with a wide range of entities within the higher education community to monitor and influence federal policy and to collaborate on issues of common interest. The association has ongoing interaction with key federal departments and agencies including the U.S. departments of Labor, Education, Energy, Homeland Security, and Commerce, and the National Science Foundation.
AACC supports and promotes its member colleges through policy initiatives, innovative programs, research and information and strategic outreach to business and industry and the national news media. The association's efforts are guided by the AACC 2013-2016 Strategic Plan.
Governed by a 32-member board of directors elected by the membership, AACC is a nonprofit organization whose overriding mission is to "Build a Nation of Learners by Advancing America's Community Colleges."
Mission Statement:
Building a Nation of Learners by Advancing America's Community Colleges
This mission statement captures AACC's commitment to advance the recognition of the role of community colleges in serving society today. By providing advocacy, leadership and service for community colleges, the Association will play a key role in assisting the nation as it passes from the industrial era of the twentieth century to the new knowledge-based society of the twenty-first century.
Core Values Statement:
Core values are an organization's essential and enduring tenets. They represent the set of beliefs on which an organization bases all its actions and policies. Whereas the mission states what an organization does and its reason for being, the core values define the vital tenets undergirding how the organization will operate both to accomplish its work and to achieve its vision. These core values provide the touchstones for important judgments and decisions to be made by AACC leadership and staff.
Core Values
Integrity: AACC places fairness and honesty at the center of all of its policies and operations.
Excellence: AACC provides services and support of the highest quality to its member institutions.
Leadership: AACC promotes the development of community college leaders at all levels and creates opportunities for leadership among its staff.
Learning: AACC functions as a learning organization, continuously adapting and improving its services for learning in the field and ensuring that staff have the flexibility to meet a wide variety of member needs.
Diversity: AACC affirms that diversity is crucial to a democratic society, that diversity enriches the educational experience, and that diversity respects and celebrates differences among institutions and individuals alike.
Commitment: AACC advances the community college mission and the success of the students at its member colleges through the dedication of its leadership and staff.
Connectedness: AACC fosters a sense of community and responsiveness that supports the ability of its members to network locally, nationally, and internationally, to learn from each other, and to leverage their resources for action.
Vision for AACC's Future:
A vision statement must clearly and concretely describe what an organization will look like in the future when it is operating at its best. Together with the mission and core values, the vision provides a compelling scenario of how the organization will evolve. The key ingredients in an individual's ability to participate productively in society and in the economy are learning and the capabilities one develops as a result of learning. In serving 12 million students today and more in the future, community colleges play an essential role in providing access to learning in America. AACC will provide the preeminent leadership to support and advance community colleges in this mission.
Vision of AACC's Future
AACC will be a bold leader in creating a nation where all have access to the learning needed to participate productively in their communities and in the economy. Through AACC's leadership, community colleges will increasingly be recognized as the gateway to the American dream—the learning resource needed to sustain America's economic viability and productivity.
AACC will pursue this vision by:
a) Expanding its role as the nation's primary voice for guaranteeing access to and accountability for higher learning
b) Influencing federal policy decisions relevant to higher learning as well as media coverage that promotes awareness and understanding of the critical factors of student success
c) Promoting community colleges as the premier workforce development providers in America and influencing government and corporate funding policies to support the colleges in this key role
d) Fostering partnerships with P-12 schools, other higher education institutions, minority-serving institutions, corporate learning centers, and businesses that will insure that all students have optimal learning opportunities to meet their goals efficiently and effectively
e) Developing community college leaders at all levels who understand and share a deep commitment to the community college mission and core values
f) Forging community development and renewal by working to ensure access to lifelong learning to benefit individuals, communities, and society in general
g) Providing the best and most accessible information to the media, faculty, researchers, policymakers, and the public regarding the community college mission, student learning, trends shaping education, emerging jobs and exemplary programs
h) Supporting community colleges to prepare learners to be effective in a global society
i) Empowering community colleges to grow as a global force for learning by disseminating information and promoting international partnerships between American community colleges and countries seeking collaborative opportunities.
j) Creating a deeper and broader sense of connectedness among community colleges through technology
k) Promoting public recognition of the value of community colleges and the opportunities they provide
In a world where more and more critical decisions demand sound information, productive actions require the best resources, and mass communication demands articulate spokespersons, AACC will be an agile, aggressive leader promoting better understanding of community colleges as essential resources for the nation’s vitality.
Pursuing this vision will require collaborations with other community college stakeholders, with university-based community college programs, as well as with other educational associations. Specific initiatives will be based on identified need and the availability of resources. Given the sizeable turnover that is occurring in community college leadership, potential initiatives include new opportunities for professional development in leadership for faculty and staff as well as the expansion of community college CEO development. With technology available that can provide for rapid sharing of information, the Association will pursue ways to accelerate access to resources on best practices in creating learning opportunities.
Given the transition from an industrial economy to one where knowledge and skill sets are the crucial determinants of career achievement, the Association should explore potential partnerships for monitoring and distributing information about the impact of social, technological, and economic trends on college curricula.
Engaging with its member institutions in new ways to leverage new opportunities, AACC will deepen relations built on trust and confidence while also challenging community colleges to grow and develop even greater competence in areas such as learning accountability, diversity, and globalization.
