White House Summit on Community Colleges

Could colleges run without teachers? The organizers of next week’s White House Summit on Community Colleges seem to think so.

On October 5, Professor Jill Biden will chair this event, which seeks to “highlight the critical role that community colleges play in developing America’s workforce and reaching our educational goals.”

Although Biden is herself a faculty member, she cannot be expected to represent the country’s nearly 400,000 community college teachers, most of whom are employed in insecure part-time positions. And the list of invited participants does not include faculty—though it does include a corporate CEO, college presidents, and military leadership. 

Without including those who actually teach community college students, how can the summit have a full discussion of the challenges and opportunities involved in reaching the nation’s educational goals? If we don’t speak out, the administration’s policies on an important sector of higher education will be made without our input. 

Contact the White House and make your voice heard. Here’s how. 

1. Submit a narrative account of how community college has changed your life.
2. Submit your ideas and comments for discussion.  Please also check out the ideas that have already been submitted and vote for those you agree with. Many have pointed out the need to reconsider the foolhardy course of hiring mostly under-resourced contingent faculty to teach this vulnerable population.
3. You can also submit a video response through YouTube. 

Please act today; there are only a few more days before the summit is convened.