Experiences of University Physicists Working with their Two-Year College Neighbors

The growth of the 2-year college movement has been rapid, probably because these institutions offer a wide variety of programs relevant to the needs of our technological society for highly trained workers in many different professional fields and career areas. Because 2-yr colleges are breaking new ground, they are encountering problems: (1) difficulties in articulating with degree-granting institutions; (2) students who are weaker academically and lower socioeconomically than typical 4-yr college students; (3) a shortage of suitable teaching materials; and (4) inadequate supplies of appropriately prepared teachers. Programs supported by the Esso Education Foundation and the National Science Foundation at the State University of New York at Stony Brook have been designed to minimize these problems for the physics departments of the New York 2-yr colleges.