Austin Community College Chancellor Russell Lowery-Hart attended President Joe Biden and first lady Jill Biden’s “Classroom to Career” Summit at the White House on Wednesday as one of 200 education and workforce leaders who were invited to discuss how to leverage education to address workforce needs.
Creating and filling jobs is a national and local priority, and ACC’s representation at the event signifies “the real impact” its recent programs and initiatives have had on achieving that goal in Central Texas, Lowery-Hart said in a news release.
Lowery-Hart, who has led the college for 13-months, has launched innovative programs to improve access to higher education, such as a free tuition pilot program that offers tuition at no cost to eligible in-district high school graduates.
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ACC has also specifically expanded programs to help prepare Central Texas workers for careers related to the CHIPS and Science Act, a growing field in Central Texas as semiconductor manufacturers move and expand in the region.
U.S. Commerce Secretary Gina Raimondo visited ACC twice in as many years to tour its facilities, and the University of Texas and ACC in April announced a partnership to create a semiconductor training center. In August, ACC also received a $7.5 million grant from the U.S. Defense Department, a $1.5 million grant secured by U.S. Rep. Lloyd Doggett and $200,000 from Samsung Semiconductors to purchase equipment for a new training facility at ACC’s Round Rock Campus.
“The discussions around CHIPs and infrastructure emphasize the critical need for skilled graduates, and it’s inspiring to see our commitments recognized and our students’ futures prioritized,” Lowery-Hart said in the release. “We’re making our promises real for students by creating genuine career pathways.”
The White House summit highlighted community college affordability and career pathways. Biden also announced an investment of more than $80 billion from the American Rescue Plan to expand initiatives such as tuition-free programs in high demand fields and to continue recruiting and educating a diverse workforce.
Fifteen years ago, then serving as second lady, Jill Biden started the first White House Community Colleges summit. At this summit, the White House committed to further investing in making community college pathways more attainable and affordable.
Source: politics.einnews.com…
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