From The Center For Excellence

April 2006

Dear Colleague,

In this issue, our focus falls on several noteworthy events - our upcoming Presidents Breakfast, NEH Chairman Bruce Cole's visit to our Center for Excellence, and an update on Phi Theta Kappa's Hurricane Relief Fund contributions.

We are also pleased to call your attention to a momentous announcement by the Jack Kent Cooke Foundation, which will have very long-term implications regarding transfer programs for community college students at "elite" four-year colleges and universities.

Sincerely,

Rod A. Risley
Executive Director

Annual Presidents Breakfast Set for April 24

Phi Theta Kappa's annual Presidents Breakfast is scheduled for Monday, April 24, at 7:00 am in the Grand Ballroom of the Long Beach Convention Center. We urge you to join us for this very important occasion, when we will honor the students chosen for the All-USA Academic First Team for Community Colleges. We will recognize the 20 First Team members, their colleges and their college administrators.

The entire All-USA Academic Team for 2006 will be announced that day in special feature coverage in USA TODAY.

Invitations to the Phi Theta Kappa Presidents Breakfast, held annually at each AACC Convention, have been mailed to you. If you did not receive your invitation or have not yet responded, please contact Wendy Taylor, Executive Assistant/Special Projects Coordinator, at 601.984.3518 - and please plan to attend.

We hope to see you in Long Beach, and we look forward to sharing other exciting news about Phi Theta Kappa programs to benefit community colleges and their students.

NEH Chairman Visits Center for Excellence

Phi Theta Kappa's International Headquarters, the Center for Excellence, was privileged to host a recent visit from Dr. Bruce Cole, Chairman of the National Endowment for the Humanities. Dr. Cole also visited Mississippi and Louisiana institutions on the Gulf Coast that received NEH grants following Hurricanes Katrina and Rita.

During his time in Jackson Dr. Cole and I discussed a variety of topics pertinent to the community college arena, including honors education, recruitment of community college students by elite four-year colleges and universities, and our 2006 Honors Satellite Seminar Series.

Dr. Cole also provided insights into future NEH programming, including the Landmarks of American History workshops for community college faculty and We the People, a project to explore significant events and themes in United States history.

Phi Theta Kappa received a $1.7 million challenge grant from the NEH in 1995 to help fund construction of the Center for Excellence and to endow the annual Faculty Development Conference. When the grant was announced it was the largest ever made by NEH to a community college entity.

We invite you to visit the Phi Theta Kappa website to learn more about Dr. Cole's visit to the Center for Excellence.

Jack Kent Cooke Foundation, Prestigious Institutions Partner to Increase Access for Community College Students

One of the most significant projects ever developed involving community colleges is the partnership between the Jack Kent Cooke Foundation and eight of the nation's leading educational institutions.

The Foundation and its higher-education partners recently announced that they will focus $27 million on transforming college access for low-income community college students. This initiative is predicted to markedly increase the opportunities for high achieving low-income community college students to earn bachelor's degrees from selective four-year institutions. It is the largest shared investment to date by leading colleges and universities to overcome the lack of opportunities low-income students have at such schools.

Partnering institutions are Amherst College, Bucknell University, Cornell University, Mount Holyoke College, the University of California-Berkeley, the University of Michigan-Ann Arbor, the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and the University of Southern California.

To establish the initiative, the Foundation is awarding grants totaling $6.78 million to the eight partner institutions, and the recipients are in turn committing $20.5 million in financial aid and other resources to expand or develop community college transfer programs that reach out to and support transfer students. The eight institutions aim to develop a set of programs and practices that can greatly expand opportunities for low-income students to earn four-year degrees. As part of the initiative, they will aggressively recruit, admit, and offer scholarships to the best community college students and participate in an evaluation of their efforts, the conclusions of which will be shared with higher education nationally.

As a member of the Community College Transfer Initiative Advisory Board, I am honored to be a part of this outstanding opportunity. This is one more indication that the tide has indeed turned, and that community colleges and their students are at long last receiving the respect they deserve.

Students Helping Students: More than $55,000 Raised for Tuition Assistance

I am happy to report that Students Helping Students, Phi Theta Kappa's Hurricane Katrina relief effort, has garnered well over $55,000 to help community college students in the affected areas stay in school and complete their associate degrees. As of April 1, the total was $55,244.54.

Phi Theta Kappa has disbursed funds to Jones County Junior College, the three campuses of Mississippi Gulf Coast Community College and Pearl River Community College, all in Mississippi; and Delgado Community College and Nunez Community College in Louisiana. These colleges are reviewing applications and will award the scholarships soon.

Many of you have contributed to this worthy cause, and we thank you. Even today, more than seven months after this unprecedented natural catastrophe, the scars of Katrina remain fresh. With your help, and the help of your colleges and your students, we are providing a ray of hope.

Contributions may be sent to:
Phi Theta Kappa International Headquarters
c/o 2005 Hurricane Relief Fund
1625 Eastover Drive
Jackson, MS 39211

If you have questions, contact me via email or at 601.984.3518.

Featured Administrator and Member

Dr. Thelma White, President/CEO of Elizabethtown Community and Technical College in Elizabethtown, Kentucky, and member Jennifer Young, are spotlighted in this edition. Jennifer is President of ECTC's chapter of Phi Theta Kappa, is the recipient of the college's Academic Certificate of Achievement and has been on the Dean's List for two years. She will complete her bachelor's degree in elementary education from Western Kentucky University.