J. Levin & Kenneth A. Loparo 
Community Colleges and Their Students 
Co-construction and Organizational Identity

This book employs a socio-cultural approach to study the organizational dynamics and experiences of self-formation that shape community college life. The authors use case studies to analyze both the symbolic dimension and practices that enable the production of educational experiences in seven community colleges across the U.S. Levin and Montero-Hernandez explain the construction of organizational identity and student development as a result of the connection between institutional forces and individual agency. This work emphasizes the forms and conditions of interaction among college personnel, students, and external groups that were enacted to respond to the demands and opportunities in both participants local and larger contexts. The authors acknowledge both the collective and individual efforts of community college personnel to create caring community colleges that support nontraditional students.

Table of Content

Introduction * Community colleges seen from an organizational-cultural perspective: Theoretical and methodological considerations * Understanding the complexity of college identity: Bakersfield College as a comprehensive organization * Categorization of students and interpretations of college life as sources of organizational identity: Wake Technical Community College * Organizational culture, hybrid identity, and forms of student accommodation: formal and informal co-construction in the Community College of Denver * External networks and college identity: Borough of Manhattan Community College * Organizational change and student accommodation: Edmonds Community College as an adaptive-responsive organization * Truman College * Gate Way Community College * Student identity

About the author

John S Levin is Professor of Education, Graduate School of Education, University of California, Riverside.
Virginia Montero-Hernandez is a Graduate Student, Graduate School of Education, University of California, Riverside.