A Message from Dr. DeRionne Pollard, President and CEO
Welcome to the American Association of Community Colleges (AACC), the national voice for nearly 1,200 community colleges, serving more than 12 million students. Our colleges are deeply to committed to students, providing innovative, high-quality curricula for degrees and certificates, and programs that support the success of students through experiential learning, pathways to achievement, and targeted career guidance. As anchors in our communities, community colleges propel economic growth by preparing students for skilled employment and creating pipelines to such jobs through partnerships with employers.
AACC promotes the interests of its member colleges by vividly narrating our sector’s impact on economic vitality. We produce insightful publications that track best practices in our sector, share research relevant to our missions, and explore important political trends. AACC offers innovative leadership development training to our members as they maximize their talents in serving our colleges. We seek to empower all community colleges with the most sophisticated tools in an expanding toolbox, offering opportunities to engage with policy initiatives, apply cutting edge research, and collaborate with business and industry. Our stories capture the talents of students in all regions of the country, whose ambitious span dozens of fields.
Headquartered in the National Center for Higher Education in Washington, DC, our staff interacts with legislators and key federal departments and agencies, advancing the power community colleges. AACC also partners with research entities, education associations, and think tanks to capture policy aims and best practices; workforce and economic development entities to create pathways to skilled employment; and international groups whose education missions align with ours. I invite you to engage with AACC and explore ways in which our work may advance our shared goals.