October 20, 2021 Today, the Association of Community College Trustees and the American Association of Community Colleges released the following statement urging Congress and the Biden Administration to stand by America's College Promise Act to provide free community college tuition. Joint Statement on America’s College Promise Provisions in Build Back Better Act
October 20, 2021 – On behalf of the nation’s community colleges, we are disappointed to hear reports of the exclusion of the America’s College Promise Act from the Build Back Better Act that is before Congress. Community colleges provide relevant and affordable access to higher education and career training opportunities for nearly 12-million Americans each year. This legislation would mark a historical federal investment in ensuring these opportunities remain affordable and accessible. Knowing that nearly one-third of the nation’s high school graduates never attend college, America’s College Promise would remove barriers to the higher education necessary in today’s global economy and provide greater opportunities to earn a college degree or learn the skills needed to obtain a family-sustaining wage job. It would particularly benefit those who are low-income and traditionally underrepresented and who have been disproportionately negatively impacted by the pandemic and forced to forgo college altogether. For more than a century, community college has been the on-ramp to the middle class for many and this investment sends a clear message that our nation values community college education as a pathway to prosperity for all Americans. It is not too late for Congress and the President to ensure that tuition-free community college and the entirety of the America’s College Promise is included in the Build Back Better Act, and forever transform and improve America’s higher education system. Community college leaders urge Congress to seize this crucial moment in our nation’s pandemic and economic recovery by investing in community college education to benefit students, communities, and local economies now and for generations to come.
Walter G. Bumphus, Ph.D. President and CEO American Association of Community Colleges
Jee Hang Lee President and CEO Elect Association of Community College Trustees ACCT NOW is the go-to resource for issues affecting community colleges. Our new website features original reporting and research, as well as of-the-moment legislative updates. ACCT NOW also includes articles, reports, and research from outside sources that benefit the ACCT community. Spread the word. Please encourage your fellow trustees, presidents and colleagues to stay up to date about legislation that affects their community colleges by joining the Latest Action in Washington (LAW) E-Alert network. To join, simply e-mail publicpolicy@acct.org with 'LAW Alert' in the subject of the e-mail. For more community college news from inside the beltway, follow us on Twitter (twitter.com/CCTrustees) or like us Facebook (facebook.com/CCTrustees). Have questions? Contact us with any questions or concerns about public policy and ACCT's advocacy on behalf of two-year colleges and two-year college trustees. ACCT's Latest Action in Washington alerts are sent to interested ACCT members to keep you up to date on important legislative activities that impact community colleges. If you no longer wish to receive ACCT's Latest Action in Washington alerts, reply to this email with UNSUBSCRIBE in the subject line. |