Oct. 9, 2010
 
COMMENTARY: Community Colleges: West Virginia’s Best Kept Secret
 
By Chancellor Jim Skidmore, WVCTCS
 
This past week, Dr. Jill Biden, Vice President Joe Biden’s wife, hosted the first ever White House Summit on community colleges. Dr. Biden, a community college professor, has seen first hand the impact a community college education can have on people’s lives; particularly for our most disadvantaged citizens, single parents, and working adults. All are struggling and striving for a better quality of life.
 
Much has been written about the United States falling behind other countries in the proportion of our population with a college degree, and community and technical colleges are being challenged to be a major contributor in the effort to meet the goal of the United States again having the best educated and competitive workforce in the world. West Virginia is no different; if we are to be competitive in an increasingly competitive global economy, it is imperative that we raise the education and skill levels of the state’s current and future workforce.
 
West Virginia has ten community and technical colleges with twenty-two campuses that serve over 36,000 for-credit students per year. We have the lowest tuition rates of all segments of higher education and provide opportunities for students to pursue transfer, technical and certificate degrees. In addition, community and technical colleges provide skill upgrade training to incumbent workers enabling West Virginia businesses to become more competitive.
 
Recognizing the importance of community colleges, Governor Joe Manchin and the West Virginia Legislature has provided unprecedented support for community colleges over the past few years. Legislation was passed creating a fully independent community college system, funding was provided for the first ever capital bond project dedicated totally to community and technical college facilities, and funding was secured to construct two state-of-the-art advanced technology centers to provide education and training for high-demand technical occupations. This commitment will equip West Virginians with the workplace skills and expertise that will be necessary for success in the emerging jobs of the future. This investment will pay dividends through increased job opportunities and enhanced economic development efforts.
 
It is said that community colleges are “one of America’s best-kept secrets”, and that is certainly true in West Virginia. The West Virginia Council for Community and Technical College Education, the state-level coordinating board for community and technical college education, and our ten community college presidents want to change that. We want all West Virginians to know a real opportunity exists for a better quality of life and the American Dream can still become a reality through the attainment of higher levels of education and increased workplace skills offered through our community and technical colleges. As the nation focuses on community colleges and the role they play in moving the country back to international education prominence; West Virginia should do the same.
 
James L. Skidmore, Chancellor
Community and Technical College System of West Virginia