Wednesday, November 4, 2009

President Obama in Madison Today

And some are curious if he will have anything to say about community colleges in his Education Address.

Obama's American Graduation Initiative is aimed at helping people like Gary Ramthun go back to school.
After 35 years of working in manufacturing, Ramthun lost his job last December.
"I looked for work and decided I would try my luck at going back to school and starting my own business," said Ramthun.
Now he is a full-time student at Madison College, trying to get certified to
perform home inspections.
"My biggest reason for coming back was the opportunity to get the education to be able to move back into the workforce without taking four years out of my life," said Ramthun. "And at my age, four more years is going to make it that much harder to get a job."
The American Graduation Initiative would give $12 billion in federal funds to community colleges across the country. Madison College officials say a grant like this
would be the first of its kind.

Gary is exactly the type of student that part-time instructors are instrumental in helping. He is most likely taught by several p/t faculty currently in the field. He is gaining critical knowledge and perspective on an industry (home inspection~real estate) that has been in the midst of a difficult recession and dramatic policy changes. Part-time instructors see these changes real-time.
Help us help students like Gary. It's good for students and good for the Madison area economy.

*also, note the comments in the link above*

No comments:

Post a Comment