Sara Weissman
May 2, 2022
Some community colleges have dropped the word “community” from their names as institutions re-envision their academic offerings and try to avoid negative stereotypes.
Pikes Peak Community College is poised to transform into Pikes Peak State College after Colorado governor Jared Polis signed a bill last month to change the college’s name.
Campus leaders discussed dropping “community” from the college’s name for roughly a decade, but those discussions crystallized in the past two years, said Lance Bolton, president of the college.
The rebranding addresses what Bolton believes to be an unfortunate reality—that prospective students see community colleges as a “lesser” academic option that provide an inferior education and less marketable degrees.
Bolton said students quickly see the value of community college once they enroll, but getting them to enroll is another story. He noted that some high school teachers advise students against attending community colleges and describe them as second-rate options. He also noted that media depictions of community colleges can hurt their reputation and influence public perceptions. He pointed to the popular television show Community. Bolton felt the sitcom, about a ragtag group of friends at a community college that ran for six seasons, portrayed community college students as “misfits and oddballs.”
