College Joins Forces to Support AdvancePA
(Delaware and Chester Counties, PA • October 20, 2010)—Pennsylvania needs its community colleges to educate and prepare students with skills for today’s jobs and a better state economy. For this reason, AdvancePA, a statewide advocacy campaign, sponsored by the Pennsylvania Commission for Community Colleges and Delaware County Community College, was created earlier this year. Its purpose is to solicit the support of policymakers and statewide political candidates to make funding for community colleges a priority.
Community colleges are the conduit to a better life and future for all Pennsylvanians and they are essential for the well-being of our community, our state and our nation.
“AdvancePA has come at a most opportune time,” said Dr. Jerry Parker, President of Delaware County Community College. “We’ve seen firsthand how the recession has led to a surge in enrollment. Our students come from all walks of life and we offer them workforce development, career and skill training opportunities that will help them get the jobs they need,” Parker added.
We are calling on students, teachers, administrators and community members from Delaware and Chester counties and across Pennsylvania to let policymakers and political candidates know that community colleges are economic engines of our state and deserve greater support.
Community colleges across the state will also be working to educate state policymakers, political candidates and the public about the increasing demand for community colleges and the infrastructure needed to meet those demands.
Currently, one out of every four Pennsylvania undergraduates attends one of the state’s 14 community colleges. We must let our leaders and candidates know community colleges are critical to Pennsylvania’s economic recovery. We need support from all levels of our state and local government for community colleges to respond to the needs of the Commonwealth.
For more information about Delaware County Community College, visit our new website at www.dccc.edu
AdvancePA: Community Colleges Lead the Way is sponsored by the Pennsylvania Commission for Community Colleges (pacommunitycolleges.org), a nonprofit, volunteer membership association for Pennsylvania’s 14 community colleges. Its members include the college presidents, members of colleges’ boards of trustees and key college administrators.
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