At the council’s fall meeting this week, members discussed ways to “mobilize corporate America” to help students and institutions meet President Barack Obama’s goal of graduating an additional 5 million community college students by 2020.
The discussion led to the creation of a working group that will include a handful of council members. The group will meet with community college leaders and participate in upcoming regional and state community college summits, which will be modeled after last month’s
White House Summit on Community Colleges.
Companies can also serve as advocates for community colleges, education peers, lawmakers and policymakers about the important role of community colleges in workforce and economic development.
The council members represent companies that understand the important role of community colleges in driving the nation toward renewed economic prosperity, Sandra DeCastro of
SunGard Higher Education, who serves as chair of the Corporate Council, told
CC Times.
“I’m excited by the energy and commitment by the Corporate Council members to come together to support AACC in their efforts to meet President Obama’s goal,” she said.
Because companies are direct beneficiaries of an educated and well-trained workforce, council member Marie Martinelli of
Student Insurance said corporations and community colleges need to work together more closely to prepare students for current and emerging jobs. She said students need to have “focus,” and it’s up to colleges and industries to help them find it.
In fact, having a personal connection with students was a major part of the conversation for the council, which includes representatives from
W.W. Grainger,
Blackboard,
Microsoft and others. Sandi Kirshner with
Pearson Higher Education said corporations need to reach out to students to offer mentoring activities. She added that solutions come “one student at a time.”
Craig Dunn with the
New York Times said students need to be motivated. He suggested that corporations showcase successful employees who attended community colleges.
The council also discussed how to better serve nontraditional students. Too often, students leave college because of issues outside of their control, noted Jennifer Hartvickson of
Kaplan University. But there has been some success in pulling those students back in with online learning and credits for experiential learning.
“When life happens, we need to reach them,” Hartvickson said.