Membership to the American Association of Community Colleges (AACC) is open to individuals, institutions and organizations, with annual renewals. A community college is defined on the AACC's website as a two-year, associate's degree-granting college that is accredited or in the process of accreditation by one of the six regional accrediting agencies.
There are three types of associates involved with the AACC: educational associates, international associates and lifetime individual associates. Educational associates are any nonprofit organizations that are interested in educational issues and any educational institutions that do not qualify for an institutional membership. International associates are accredited colleges or schools of higher education located outside the United States. Individual associates are presidents, trustees, administrators and other individuals who have interests in higher education.
When members of the public donate to the AACC, they obtain an additional tax writeoff. The public is also invited to the AACC's annual April convention, held in New Orleans in 2011, in Orlando in 2012, and in San Francisco in 2013. The workshop has keynote speakers, including community, federal and state agency representatives, presidents, trustees, faculty and industry representatives. Past workshops have addressed community college issues, including fundraising and moving up the ladder in community college administration.
The Community College Times is the official newspaper of the American Association of Community Colleges, and it appears exclusively online. Regular features include Best Practices, Opinion, Career Line, Grants and Calendar. The newspaper provides coverage of news and issues surrounding community colleges, fundraising, current legislation and technology. Headlines that have appeared in the Community College Times include "Using 'Rapid Tech' for a Competitive Edge" and "Universities Called Out on Preparing Students for Jobs."