July 31, 2020 | Issue # 168
A Washington Post headline declared this week the “U.S. economy contracted at fastest quarterly rate on record from April to June as coronavirus walloped workers, businesses.” We know that community colleges will be a big part of the recovery—just as we were during the Great Recession, when we helped so many unemployed people reskill for new jobs.
To help our colleges with this huge task, AACC and the National Governors Association are collaborating on the new Reskilling and Recovery Network. You can read about it in the “Must Know” section.
“Senate GOP Puts Ed Proposals on Table”
Senate Republicans have offered stimulus “4.0” legislation that would provide significant funding for higher education. The Health, Economic Assistance, Liability Protection, and Schools (HEALS) Act would provide an Education Stabilization Fund with $105 billion for programs at the U.S. Department of Education, with just over $29 billion directed to the Higher Education Emergency Relief Fund. Learn more in CC Daily.
More and more younger alumni at a Pennsylvania community college are giving back and creating scholarships. Read about it at the AACC 21st Century Center blog.
Reskilling and Recovery Network
AACC has partnered with the National Governors Association to launch the Reskilling and Recovery Network with support from Lumina Foundation and the Siemens Foundation. Twenty states have joined the network that aims to identify and scale strategies to help workers succeed in a post-pandemic economy.
On July 28, I provided a virtual keynote to approximately 700 employees for Anthology, a technology company. The title of the keynote was “New Chapters Amidst a Sea of Change and Uncertainty.” Following my presentation, I was joined on a panel by former AACC Board Member and Alamo Colleges Trustee Roberto Zarate, and the CEO of CampusWorks, Liz Murphy. The panel was moderated by Jim Brigadier, Anthology’s chief revenue officer.