CCC Commits to Expanding College Access During White House Event

Camden County College President Raymond Yannuzzi was at the White House Thursday to join President Barack Obama, First Lady Michelle Obama, Vice President Joe Biden and hundreds of other higher education leaders in announcing new actions to help more students prepare for and graduate from college.

The White House College Opportunity Day of Action is part of Obama’s commitment to partner with colleges, universities, business leaders and nonprofits to support students across the country and help our nation reach its goal of leading the world in college attainment. Thursday’s participants were asked to commit to new action in one of four areas: building networks of colleges around promoting completion; creating K-16 partnerships around college readiness; investing in high school counselors as part of the First Lady’s Reach Higher initiative; or increasing the number of college graduates in the fields of science, technology, engineering and mathematics.

Joining Yannuzzi in Washington is Rutgers University–Camden Chancellor Phoebe A. Haddon and Camden City School District Superintendent Paymon Rouhanifard. Their institutions, along with Rowan University, are collaborating on the Camden College Access Network (CCAN), which is committed to increasing college access and success in higher education and beyond.

“Camden County College provides opportunities to earn college degrees and workforce credentials to many students who might otherwise be unable to do so,” Yannuzzi said. “In the City of Camden, the College has provided associate degree programs, occupational certificate programs, GED preparation and ESL courses for more than 40 years. We share a vision of a more highly educated and prosperous Camden with the Camden City School District and our university partners, Rutgers and Rowan. We pledge to work together to increase the college-going rate of Camden students and contribute to the economic development of the city.”

CCAN aims to create a culture of “college-going” within the city while increasing college readiness and completion rates. Among the goals of CCAN are to have 75 percent of all graduating seniors complete and file a federal financial aid application; take the SAT and/or ACT; and submit applications to two or more colleges. Other goals include increasing average SAT/ACT scores by 10 percent; increasing the number of students enrolled in post-secondary education programs by 10 percent; and increasing the number of students persisting through to a second year of higher education by 25 percent.