The rising cost of attending four-year colleges and universities concerns students and parents across the nation, calling for an explanation and possible educational alternatives. One such alternative may be trade schools, which offer a shorter path from secondary education to the workforce. In deciding which post-graduation path to pursue, students (and their parents) may be interested in the rate of return to each of these options. Many estimates have arisen calculating the rate of return to a four-year degree, but comparatively little has been done for trade schools and short-term professional programs. This study is a preliminary attempt to fill this gap. I focus on beauty schools as a specified form of trade school, and compare tuition and early-career salaries from twenty-three beauty schools in the state of Washington to pre-calculated Washington averages for four-year universities. If the labor economy is operating at maximum efficiency, the rate of return for trade schools should be equal to that of four-year universities, i.e. the same benefit to cost ratio. An efficient labor market that includes beauty schools at a higher rate of return than four-year universities could indicate an occurence of social stigma, encouraging unprepared high school students into a longer program than would be economically efficient. The expected result would be an increase in students capitalizing on the program with the higher rate of return. While preliminary results suggest a higher rate of return for four-year programs, I plan to continue the study with expanded data sets.

Community Colleges have a direct impact on our community. Governing bodies of community colleges are becoming central role players in formulating strategies for the colleges they govern. A governing Board is an important place for institutional change. The Board of an institution is responsible for decision-making, policy-making and the general oversight of an institution. The assumption is that an effective college board is one that is student-centered, and composed of positive members with good intentions, having the best interest for the college. While the effectiveness of a board remains important to the growth of an institution, most college boards tend to rely on statistical data for the decision-making process. The reliance on statistical data has proved to work in some cases; however, in the dynamic economy, we live in now, having student representation on a board can help increase the effectiveness of an institution. Student leaders bring a unique perspective to the board and can help the board understand effects of its decision on students at a college. This research investigates the importance of the student representative on governing Boards in higher education institutions. Published research papers, interviews, surveys, and personal experience as a current student Trustee on the Edmonds Community College Board of Trustee are used as a source of credible data for this paper. The paper focuses on the role and the impact of student representation on a governing board and how it can boost a college's effectiveness.