Local students from Butler County Community College and Slippery Rock University will be in Harrisburg this week advocating for increased educational funding.
Five BC3 students are among those from 14 Community Colleges across the state to participate in a “Lobby Day” rally today in the Capitol Rotunda. Students will stress to lawmakers the importance of community colleges and advocate for additional funding.
And then on Wednesday, a team of several SRU students will join students, faculty, staff and alumni from the 14 State System Universities to share personal experiences about the benefits of PA higher education institutions.
“I have seen so many students benefit from community college, and an increase in funding would allow it to remain affordable for those straight out of high school and the older students who come back later in life,” said Victoria Lassinger, a BC3 registered nursing student who is one of five who will travel to Harrisburg. “It’s a jewel of the community and something that all people take pride in.”
Lassinger and Josh Campbell, both of Butler; Claire Rodgers, of Saxonburg; Noah Pollock, of Chicora; and Matthew Reitler, of Cowansville, Armstrong County; will be among hundreds of students statewide who will attempt to stress the importance of community colleges and advocate for additional funding during meetings with lawmakers.
This is all connected to Pennsylvania Governor Tom Wolf’s $34 billion spending plan, which increases higher education funding by about one percent to $1.8 billion, but freezes operational disbursements at last year’s level for the state’s Community Colleges.
The Pennsylvania Commission for Community Colleges is the state’s largest provider of post-secondary education and training, enrolling more than 300,000 students from each of the state’s 67 counties last year. The commission is requesting an additional $10 million from the state to expand dual enrollment programs, which enable high school students to take college-level courses on community college campuses, online or within high schools. They are also requesting $8.5 million in additional operating costs.
More than 17,000 high school students in Pennsylvania participated in those programs in 2017-18. BC3’s College Pathways and College Within the High School programs enrolled nearly 600 students in 2018-19, according to Erin Cioffi, BC3’s assistant director of high school programming.
—
State and Butler County taxpayers in 2016-17 paid $17.6 million to support the operations of BC3, according to Emsi, an Idaho research company that has completed more than 1,800 impact studies for educational institutions since 2000. Taxpayers will gain in added tax revenue and public sector savings $4.90 for every public dollar invested in BC3 over a student’s worklife, according to the analysis.
“An investment into the commonwealth’s community colleges is a wise investment,” BC3 President Dr. Nick Neupauer said. “It helps keep tuition affordable, goes a long way in helping to ensure a quality education, and even applies toward assuring the highest quality in workforce development and public safety training. The return for Pennsylvania is immense.”
As such, Lobby Day provides legislators an opportunity to appreciate the impact of community colleges, said Butler County Commissioner Kimberly D. Geyer, a 1984 BC3 graduate, BC3 trustee since 2011 and secretary of the Pennsylvania Commission for Community Colleges’ board of directors.
“Lawmakers are able to have a better sense of the real-life journey of our students through face-to-face interaction,” Geyer said. “Lobby Day creates a snapshot in time and allows others to see the significance of investing in our community colleges. Lawmakers get to see and hear first-hand the real return on their investment.”
Lobby Day, Geyer added, “is a great opportunity for students to share their personal stories related to BC3 and how the accessible, affordable and quality education has made a difference in their lives, how it has prepared them for either higher education opportunities or immediate entrance into the workforce.”
The post BC3, SRU Students Help Lobby In Harrisburg For More School Funding appeared first on ButlerRadio.com – Butler, PA.
