Tabitha Whissemore

Recent federal policies have affected populations that community colleges have long served: international and undocumented students. College leaders say they are continuing to serve these students and are speaking out about the value they add to their communities. Washington’s Edmonds Community College has been a leader in the state in international student recruitment. During the 2018-2019 academic year, Edmonds had enrolled about 1,600 international students from more than 55 countries.

Rep. Zach Nunn (R-Iowa) was at Iowa Western Community College’s Atlantic Rural Center last week to announce a $900,000 federal investment to expand skilled-trades labs at both the Atlantic and Clarinda Rural Centers. “This investment means a kid in Atlantic or Clarinda can train to become a welder, electrician, plumber or manufacturer right here at home — preparing for the jobs local employers across the region need filled today,” Nunn said.

Twelve teams of community college students from across the United States spent months using creative thinking and classroom learning to design innovations to solve real-world problems. On June 9, they had the opportunity to showcase their projects at a poster session on Capitol Hill in Washington, D.C. The teams of students – along with their faculty mentors – are finalists in the annual Community College Innovation Challenge (CCIC).