NEWS RELEASE - FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Kentucky Community and Technical College System (KCTCS)
Date: April 7, 2005
Contact: Terri Giltner, (859) 256-3186, terri.giltner@kctcs.edu
Jackie Bondurant, (859) 256-3219, jackie.bondurant@kctcs.edu
Kentucky celebrates "National Community College Month" in April
KCTCS positioned as one of the best two-year college systems in the nation
VERSAILLES, Ky. (April 7, 2005) - The Kentucky Community and Technical College System (KCTCS) joins nearly 1,200 community colleges across the country in celebrating April as National Community College Month.
President George W. Bush, in his 2005 State of the Union Address, praised the important role community colleges play in meeting the postsecondary needs of American industry and proposed helping workers to "get training for a better career, by reforming our job-training system and strengthening America's community colleges."
KCTCS has become a national leader in the community college sector of postsecondary education. KCTCS President Michael B. McCall has been elected to serve as chair of the board of directors for the American Association of Community Colleges (AACC) which serves approximately 11.6 million students.
"Community and technical colleges are perfectly positioned to take the lead in redefining the role of education in America," said McCall. "Our colleges provide a seamless path between high school, postsecondary education and a successful career."
In the past decade, the role of postsecondary education has increased dramatically as the requirements of new technology have demanded a flexible, skilled workforce. Experts predict this trend will continue and that a minimum of two years of college education will be required for most jobs. Workers will also have to continually upgrade their skills as technology changes.
Today, nearly half of all undergraduate college students in the nation are enrolled in a community or technical college. Kentucky's experience is similar. KCTCS has a current enrollment of approximately 82,000 students, which represents 40 percent of Kentucky's undergraduate student population. KCTCS is also the largest provider of workforce training, providing job training to approximately 150,000 Kentuckians.
This is the 104th anniversary of the birth of community colleges - an American invention that brought publicly funded higher education close to home. Joliet (Ill.) Junior College, founded in 1901, is the nation's oldest community college. KCTCS was founded in 1997 as part of Kentucky postsecondary education reform. However, a number of KCTCS colleges trace their origins back 60 years or more.
KCTCS is changing the lives of Kentuckians by providing affordable and accessible postsecondary education at 16 community and technical colleges on 65 campuses throughout the Commonwealth of Kentucky. For more information, visit www.kctcs.edu.