Moving a Community College Forward

What makes this book distinctive is the unique perspective of its author. James Jacobs spent fifty years at Macomb Community College, starting as a part-time instructor in 1967 and retiring in 2017 as president.

After being temporarily fired by the college in 1970 for activist activities, Jacobs not only won his job back but began a transformation that led to a national role in developing community college workforce strategies used by many institutions today.



His evolution, from student radical to community college leader, happened in parallel with the evolution of community colleges, from local educational afterthoughts to national engines of personal and economic development. Since the context for the book is the Detroit region, issues such as racism, city-suburban relations, and changes in the auto industry are also examined.



Moving A Community College Forward has relevance for several audiences, including educators, policy experts, community college professionals, citizens of the Detroit region, and anyone who seeks guidance and inspiration from how things have evolved in the past as a way to prepare for and lead change into the future