White House Summit on Community College

On October 5, 2010 (that's TOMORROW) Dr. Jill Biden will chair the first-ever White House Summit on Community Colleges. President Obama asked Dr. Biden to convene this event to highlight the critical role that community colleges play in developing America’s workforce and reaching our educational goals. Your College will be among those, nationwide, following developments in our nation's capital.

According to the official White House website, "the summit is an opportunity to bring together community colleges, business, philanthropy, federal and state policy leaders, and students to discuss how community colleges can help meet the job training and education needs of the nation’s evolving workforce, as well as the critical role these institutions play in achieving the President’s goal to lead the world with the highest proportion of college graduates by 2020."

Summit organizers go on to say, "we want Americans across the country to submit their thoughts, questions and challenges for discussion as part of the summit dialogue. There are a number of ways to participate:

• Submit a Video.  How has the community college experience affected your life? Please let us know by submitting your stories via YouTube or our webform.
• Join the Dialogue.  We’ve set up an online dialogue to bring together community college administrators, students and stakeholders from around the country to discuss these ideas.
• Plan an Event.  You can host a group or watch the live webcast of the plenary session of the summit on October 5.  Much of the day’s content will be available online here at whitehouse.gov, and it will be a unique opportunity to be a part of this important and ongoing discussion." ( Download a toolkit for hosting an event )

In closing, they note, "community colleges are the largest part of America’s higher education system enrolling more than 8 million students each year. Last year, President Obama proposed the American Graduation Initiative to usher in a series of new innovations and reforms to expand and strengthen opportunities at America’s community colleges."

Related Posts from whitehouse.gov ...

Community Colleges: The Backbone of Our Public Workforce System , by Jane Oates, Assistant Secretary for the Employment and Training Administration at the Department of Labor

Getting Ready For Summit Day , by Dr. Jill Biden

Looking at the Summit on Community Colleges, as an Educator and a Mother , by Jennifer Lara, a Professor of Education at Anne Arundel Community College in Arnold, MD