Release of Landmark Report Maps Future for Community Colleges Nationwide

Floridians Among 2012 Outstanding Alumni; Carville and Matalin, Mika Brzezinski Keynote 92nd Annual Convention of American Association of Community Colleges

WASHINGTON, April 17, 2012 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Think of the most pressing issues facing higher education today, and you will find community colleges at the center of the discussion.  Student access and college costs...workforce preparation and the skills gap...college readiness and developmental education...responsiveness to employers in a global marketplace. 

These and other critical issues will be front and center as more than 2,000 leaders of the nation's 1,200 two-year institutions gather at the Orlando World Center Marriott April 21-24 for the 92nd Annual Convention of the American Association of Community Colleges (AACC).

The meeting will also provide a high-profile venue for the launch of a landmark study intended to help community colleges navigate the perfect storm of rising expectations, record enrollments and dwindling state support.  "Reclaiming the American Dream: Community Colleges and the Nation's Future," will summarize the findings and recommendations of a year-long study by a 38-member, blue-ribbon commission selected by AACC President Walter G. Bumphus during his inaugural year in office.  The report will be introduced at the AACC opening session, Saturday, April 21, at 5 p.m.  A follow-up super spotlight session on Sunday, April 22 at 8:30 a.m. will provide opportunities for members to react to the report and offer comments.

A convention app provides full, searchable detail for the 2012 AACC Convention (http://aacc.confex.com/aacc/2012am/webprogram/start.html). Following are highlights of the meeting:

Saturday, April 21

Sunday, April 22

Super Spotlight: 21st-Century Report – Expanding the Dialogue, with members of the commission, facilitated by Dr. Mark Milliron, 8:30–10 a.m., Crystal Ballroom, Salon J-1.

Spotlight Session: Code Blue: 'Data' Defibrillator and Strategies to Support Presidents in Keeping Associate Degree Nursing and Allied Health Professions 'Healthy', with panelists Betty Young, Carolyn O'Daniel, Donna Meyer, and Michael Brown, 10:30–11:45 a.m., Grand Ballroom, Salon 7B.

Presidents Academy Hail and Farewell Luncheon and AACC Annual Business Meeting, with keynote speaker Mika Brzezinski, 12:00–2:00 p.m., Palms Ballroom

Monday, April 23

Spotlight Session: Campus Violence: 10 Common Mistakes in Assessment and Prevention, with Bruce Van Brunt, 1:15–2:30 p.m., Grand Ballroom, Salon 7B.

Spotlight Session: Maintaining a Vital Pell Grant Program: Serving All Needy Students, Preventing Program Abuse, with panelists David Baime, Dr. Helen Benjamin, Jean Runyon, Christopher Mullin, and Debbie Frankle Cochran, 1:15–2:30 p.m., Grand Ballroom, Salon 8A.

Reception Honoring the 2012 New Century Scholars, 5:00–6:30 p.m., Crystal Ballroom, Salon G.

Gala Dinner to Honor Outstanding Alumni Award Recipients, honoring Ambassador James Engle, Clinton Hart, Lowell Hawthorne, Virginia Lipke, Lucy Morgan and Gary Soto, 7:15–9:15 p.m., Palms Ballroom

Tuesday, April 24

Closing Plenary, with political couple James Carville and Mary Matalin, moderated by Dr. Walter G. Bumphus, 10:00–12:00 p.m., Palms Ballroom.

Headquartered in Washington, D.C., the American Association of Community Colleges is the leading advocacy organization representing close to 1,200 community, junior and technical colleges nationwide. Community colleges are the largest sector of higher education, enrolling 13 million credit and non-credit students each year. To learn more about the AACC, visit www.aacc.nche.edu.

SOURCE American Association of Community Colleges