PRINTER'S NO. 369
THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF PENNSYLVANIA
SENATE RESOLUTION
No.34
Session of
2025
INTRODUCED BY ROBINSON, BOSCOLA, CAPPELLETTI, BROWN, KEARNEY,
FONTANA, COMITTA, LAUGHLIN, KANE, HAYWOOD, PENNYCUICK, COSTA,
ARGALL, HUTCHINSON, BAKER, J. WARD, MILLER, STEFANO, SCHWANK,
MASTRIANO, DUSH AND SANTARSIERO, MARCH 10, 2025
REFERRED TO RULES AND EXECUTIVE NOMINATIONS, MARCH 10, 2025
A RESOLUTION
Designating the month of April 2025 as "Community College Month"
in Pennsylvania.
WHEREAS, Pennsylvania ranks 48th in the nation for the
affordability of higher education; and
WHEREAS, Community colleges play a critical role in providing
Pennsylvanians with an affordable and quality higher education;
and
WHEREAS, Community colleges are the largest provider of
higher education in this Commonwealth, with 15 public community
colleges across 86 campus locations which serve more than
245,000 students; and
WHEREAS, Many of the students attending community colleges
come from low-income families; and
WHEREAS, Forty-two percent of community college students come
from underrepresented or minority groups; and
WHEREAS, Community colleges educate the largest number of
first-generation or nontraditional students in higher education;
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WHEREAS, Community colleges can save students tens of
thousands of dollars on the completion of a four-year degree;
and
WHEREAS, These savings and the affordability of community
college provides students with access to higher education and
enhanced economic opportunities; and
WHEREAS, Economic opportunities provided by community
colleges, for some students, come through the many career-
focused degrees and programs offered by community colleges; and
WHEREAS, Community colleges serve as the largest post-
secondary trainer in Pennsylvania, providing workforce
development training and degrees; and
WHEREAS, Community colleges provide workforce training for
87,000 individuals located throughout this Commonwealth; and
WHEREAS, Seventy-five percent of community college workforce
development and training programs are aligned with high priority
occupations as defined by the Department of Labor and Industry,
including nursing, manufacturing and public safety; and
WHEREAS, In recent years, Pennsylvania's community colleges
have created more than 80 new programs educating students in a
variety of wide-ranging and in-demand fields, including
emergency services, health care and technology; and
WHEREAS, Community colleges partner with more than 2,100
employers to train Pennsylvanians for family-sustaining careers;
and
WHEREAS, These partnerships and programs provide employers
highly qualified workers for high-demand occupations that meet
economic needs in the region and this Commonwealth; therefore be
it
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30 RESOLVED, That the Senate designate the month of April 2025
as "Community College Month" in Pennsylvania.
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