CONGRESSWOMAN JOHNSON COMMENTS ON WHITE HOUSE SUMMIT TO STRENGTHEN COMMUNITY COLLEGES


Washington, DC – (Tuesday, October 5, 2010) – Today, the White House hosted a summit on community colleges.  Congresswoman Johnson released the following statement:

“Community colleges represent a key aspect of education and career readiness for our nation.  When one looks at affordability, accessibility and product, community colleges are leading the way in educating millions of Americans who may otherwise not receive a post-secondary education.

I am extremely proud of the work that Dallas County Community College District (DCCCD) is doing in North Texas.  With nearing 100,000 students and seven campuses, DCCCD is the largest undergraduate institution in the State of Texas. Under the leadership of Dr. Wright Lassiter, DCCCD is excelling at offering 120 different academic and technical programs to a diverse student body.  His innovative Health Care Resources Center provides a one-stop-shop for individuals interested in health programs at all seven DCCCD colleges. During the FY 2010 appropriations cycle, I was able to obtain a $300,000 award for their Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math (STEM) Professions Initiative that will encourage students to pursue a degree in STEM and train STEM teachers.

The summit held today at the White House represents a strong commitment to the future of our community colleges.  I fully support the President’s initiative and look forward to working with him so all of our students can be college or career ready by 2020.”

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U.S. Representative Eddie Bernice Johnson is the highest-ranking Texan on the House Committee on Transportation & Infrastructure and a senior member of the Science Committee. She represents the 30th Congressional District of Texas, which, includes Downtown Dallas, Fair Park, Oak Lawn, Turtle Creek, Old East Dallas, Pleasant Grove, & South Oak Cliff; all of Balch Springs, DeSoto, Hutchins, Lancaster & Wilmer and parts of Cedar Hill, Duncanville, Ferris, Glenn Heights and Ovilla.