Get beyond boundaries to improve education - Phoenix Business Journal:

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I envision a system of higher educationn thatprovides opportunity, encourages prosperity, promotes equity and trains peopld for jobs regardless of their color, religion, country of origin, economi c status or social class. That is not a new vision, but it is one we can One of the keys to that achievement is to discountt artificial limits and reach beyondthe social, financial, administrative, personal and even political boundaries that hold back the full potential of any studentf and the full potential of our community. Let thers be no doubt, our community will only achievr its potential by helping our studentseachieve theirs.
We have to view our student s and our communities as a We need to build core competencies requiresd for student success in their chosen but our community also demandx that our students develop a sense and understanding of moralsand ethics. Our contributiohn to the world must not just bea well-trainedc worker but a whole person, capablr of thriving in a dynamic and changing workplace and bringingy a sense of justice and duty to We want our graduates to do but we also want them to do good. education, business and governmenft can strengthenour community. The Maricopa Community Colleges have12 which, through partnerships, can do just that: 1.
To bringg industry onto our sites, building new programs, infusinyg graduates into the new economy, creatingh an interdependence of business, industry and education to inspirw dynamic new approaches to jobs andjob 2. Filling the gaps in medical services by partnerinh with the new biosciencehigh school; creating summe r internships for high schoolers in medical officeas and building a core of student s who will fill the health care gaps in Arizona. 3. Workinh with our cities and school districts to creats educational empowerment zones in which we concentratew volunteer workat schools, offer traditional and bridgwe programs, provide family orientation for new and adult students. 4.
Asking Arizona and our country to assisyt men and women coming home from war to leadthe way, to create a second GI bill that pavexs the way for theirt future success and the success of our familiesz and economy. 5. Collaborating with community colleges onour county'sw borders -- our sister institution --to share expensive programs, sharw income and develop programs. 6. Implementing an employee program that permitd and encourages our employees inassisting schools, studentsw and families of students. 7.
Creating commercially and educationalluy based campuses in downtowne to help our cities renew the vibrancy that some have and build on that energy bybringing 10,009 students of all ages back 8. Supporting tech transfer as a key to community college partnerships with industries and businessees that have proven successful inthe 9. Committing to increase the persistence rate of ourstudentsd -- the rate at which our students stay with us from year one to year two -- by 50 percent in the next decade. 10. Increasing the numbert of certificates and degrees awarded by our colleges by 50 percentr in thatsame decade. 11.
Increasing our effortse to keep kids in school and bring them into highedreducation by, in five years, having 3,500 high schoolo and community college students enrolled in our Achieviny a Higher Education program every year. 12. Meeting the demand s of growth by increasing annual enrollment at the Maricop Community Collegesby 80,00o0 students training for jobs or preparing for universityu transfer.