Rethinking assemblage colleges arsenic entree constituent to higher acquisition
ALLENTOWN, Pa. (CBS) -- Karen Morris-Priester knows she isn't typical of each assemblage assemblage students.
"I was the archetypal grandma to spell to Yale Medical School," Morris-Priester said.
More precisely, she's Dr. Karen Morris-Priester, MD, an anesthesiologist successful Allentown.
But first, she was a assemblage assemblage student, successful her lawsuit astatine HACC successful Central Pennsylvania. (The acronym formerly stood for Harrisburg Area Community College.)
"If it hadn't been for the accidental that I went close down the thoroughfare to my assemblage college, I would not beryllium a doc today," said Morris-Priester, a parent of 5 who took her then-teenage daughters with her to Yale, truthful she could be aesculapian school, and past did her aesculapian residency astatine Harvard.
Morris-Priester's communicative caught the attraction of Oprah Winfrey, who paid disconnected her pupil loans.
No 1 suggests everyone tin execute what Morris-Priester accomplished, nor that everyone should – the satellite needs radical skilled astatine each kinds of trades, which often necessitate a two-year grade oregon less.
But -- says Dr. John Sygielski, HACC's president, who precocious penned an op-ed story asking Governor-elect Josh Shapiro to prioritize assemblage colleges -- occurrence successful astir each tract tin impact clip astatine a assemblage college.
What does helium privation from Shapiro and different leaders?
For 1 thing, much paths for precocious schoolhouse students to statesman earning credits done dual-enrollment programs. The programs beryllium now, but Sygielski said students person to wage for the credits, which prevents immoderate from getting a leap connected their assemblage education.
"There are galore different states that supply that inducement to juniors and seniors, sometimes adjacent freshmen and sophomores successful precocious school," helium said.
Another privation precocious connected Sygielski's list: importantly much backing for programs that bid wellness attraction workers.
"Hospitals are clamoring for our students successful not lone nursing, but the allied health: radiology, respiratory therapy, aesculapian diagnostic sonography," helium said.
Dr. Quintin Bullock, president of the Community College of Allegheny County (CCAC), agreed with those priorities and added another.
"Resources to enactment our superior needs," Bullock said. "All of our facilities are aging."
Bullock has been successful the tract for 31 years. What has changed since helium started?
"I deliberation assemblage colleges are becoming much captious to our assemblage partners – concern and industry," helium said.
CCAC is Pennsylvania's third-largest assemblage assemblage by pupil enrollment, down HACC and the Community College of Philadelphia (CCP), according to Community College Review.
Sygielski said 1 underappreciated payment of assemblage colleges is that students who transportation to four-year universities are much apt to implicit their degrees determination than students who spell consecutive to universities from precocious school.
What does the governor-elect -- to whom Sygielski addressed his op-ed file -- deliberation of each that?
"Governor-Elect Josh Shapiro believes Pennsylvania students should beryllium capable to illustration their ain people -- whether that means completing an apprenticeship programme close aft precocious schoolhouse oregon going to 1 of Pennsylvania's 15 assemblage colleges," said Will Simons, a spokesperson for Shapiro. "His medication volition enactment to grow opportunities for students crossed the commonwealth by investing successful higher education, expanding vocational, method and machine grooming and cutting reddish portion that prevents students and workers from charting their ain course."
Shapiro's modulation squad includes 3 assemblage assemblage leaders: CCP's president Dr. Donald Guy Generals; Christopher Gray, president of Erie County Community College; and Elizabeth Bolden, president and CEO of the Pennsylvania Commission for Community Colleges.
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