California community colleges watched their enrollment drop dramatically during the coronavirus pandemic, with more than 300,000 fewer students enrolled in fall 2021 compared with fall 2019. 

Many Californians who dropped out from community college were challenged by online learning, financial needs, and mental health. Some intended, or still intend, to re-enroll, although the decision to leave community college sent all of them down new paths. 

For millions of young Americans, student loan debt is the organizing principle of their lives, replacing the dreams they once had with an exacting pragmatism.

Now, many spend their adult lives grimly policing their paychecks, their payments, and even the prospect of starting a family. But it doesn't have to be like this.

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.

Several other community colleges are following that lead, dropping the word “community” from their names as institutional leaders re-envision their academic offerings and try to avoid negative stereotypes.