1,500 Head to State Capitol for Community College Day
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Representatives and students from community colleges all over the state want to let people know how big of an impact they have on Alabama. They came to the state capitol for the first ever Community College Day.
Alabama has 26 community colleges, with more than 175 thousand students. More than 1500 of them took over the state capitol to bring awareness to the community college system.
“I don’t think we have done a particularly good job in advertising and telling the state who we are and what we do so really,” said Community College Chancellor Mark Heinrich. “What we’re trying to do is just get our message out to make sure people understand what opportunities exist within the two year system.”
No one knows that better than Beatrice Collins, who says community college changed her life.
“I started, I didn’t have a high school diploma. I had been out of school 12 years and Lawson State was offering free GED classes. I attended classes, studied faithfully.”
And the rest is history. Collins says she hopes to use her education to become a business owner.
“I’m interning right now with the Birmingham City House so I’m getting interested in outreach. I want to be an entrepreneur.”
Governor Robert Bentley says Alabama’s community college system is one of the best in the nation.
“If you look at the statistics, more students who start at a community college graduate from a four year college than those who actually start at the four year college.”
Bentley calls the community college system the backbone of job creation in Alabama and says he supports a separate board of education for the system.
“I think it’s an advancement. I think it will allow us to do the things that we are trying to do with our two year college systems.”
Officials hope today will help bring even more students to the community college system.
