This is the moment for community colleges, says the State University of New York chancellor.
Dr. Nancy Zimpher spoke to community leaders at J.C.C. Tuesday morning, part of her tour of all 64 SUNY campuses as she gathers input for a SUNY strategic plan.
Dr. Zimpher said more and more students of all ages and walks of life are finding their way to community colleges.
"And the interesting thing I'm learning is that students from four year are coming to two year. It's not just two year to four year. This is a very interesting time," Dr. Zimpher said.
She took questions including SUNY's ability to continue delivering nursing graduates to hospitals and the state university's role in business development. That left Dr. Zimpher impressed.
"The sense of urgency that the (JCC) trustees and the community see. The role of JCC in economic recovery, in small business development, in training a work force and health car in particular," she said.
"What I would have expected but the bravado, the enthusiasm, the sense of 'we've got to do this now,' that was pretty powerful," Zimpher said.
She also discussed the widespread need for remediation among entry-level college students but said it's not just a K-12 issue.
"Well, turns out we send them the teachers who teach the students. So I think we're all in this together," Dr. Zimpher said.
