Community colleges are at a pivotal moment.
As learners, employers, and regional economies change, these institutions have an opportunity to lead the next evolution of higher education — if they can move beyond structures built for a different era.
In the Lab’s new study, Insights from 15 Community College Presidents on the Future of Learning in a New Economy, leaders share their perspectives on the opportunities and barriers facing the sector, as well as the institutional changes needed to help more learners access economic mobility.
Their insights validate Education Design Lab’s Future of Learning framework, which asks five essential design questions:
- How might we make skills and competencies visible?
- How might we create stackable pathways that credential skills along the way?
- How might we make learning universally flexible through multiple modalities?
- How might we guarantee applied learning opportunities for every learner?
- How might we ensure every learner has access to adequate support services?
Presidents described community colleges as uniquely positioned to respond to local workforce needs, provide affordable access, and help learners build toward better jobs and long-term opportunity. At the same time, they identified persistent barriers: outdated funding models, time-based learning measures, institutional silos, limited support for faculty and staff, and growing competition from faster, more flexible credential providers.
The study points to a clear conclusion: Transformation requires more than a new vision. It requires a practical method for turning vision into institutional practice. Participants identified human-centered design — grounded in empathy, learner insight, data, and cross-sector collaboration — as a critical approach for rethinking systems and engaging the people closest to the challenge. They also emphasized strategic planning as the vehicle for aligning stakeholders, resources, and decisions around a shared direction for change.
Together, these findings reinforce the premise of the Lab’s Reimagining Community Colleges initiative: When colleges combine human-centered design with strategic planning, they can build the capacity to continuously evolve around learners, workforce needs, and economic opportunity.
Download the study to explore the presidential insights shaping a more flexible, skills-based, learner-centered future for community colleges.
For a deeper look at the ideas behind the study, listen to its author, Education Design Lab Chief Program Officer Dr. Kevin Stump, on the Smarter Campus Podcast. In the episode, Kevin explores why higher education must move beyond degrees alone — toward visible skills, stackable credentials, stronger employer partnerships, and human-centered approaches to navigating AI and workforce change.
Dr. Kevin Stump, Education Design Lab’s Chief Program Officer, conducted this study as part of his doctoral research in New York University’s Leadership and Innovation program.
