STLCC Officials Attend ACCT National Legislative Summit

Representatives from St. Louis Community College recently attended the annual National Legislative Summit hosted by the Association of Community College Trustees.

The National Legislative Summit is the premier community college advocacy event in Washington, D.C., bringing together more than 1,000 community college leaders. The event shines a spotlight on the importance of the nation’s community colleges for Congress and the administration.

It also informs and educates community college leaders on federal policy issues that impact postsecondary institutions and students. National Legislative Summit participants hear from members of U.S. Congress, administration officials, leading political analysts and other high-profile speakers about the current climate in D.C., recent elections and legislative issues impacting community colleges.

STLCC was represented by Board of Trustees members Rodney Gee, Anne Marshall and Pam Ross; Chancellor Jeff L. Pittman, Ph.D.; and Ryan McKenna, the government and community relations liaison.

During the visit, College officials had the opportunity to meet with U.S. representatives in Congress to advocate for their support of STLCC and our students. Meetings were held with U.S. Sen. Eric Schmitt and House of Representatives members Cori Bush, Ann Wagner and Blaine Luetkemeyer, along with staff from Jason Smith’s office. Discussions centered on the College’s legislative priorities, which include:

• Expanding Pell benefits to students, as well as providing support for short-term programs that lead to employment.
• Strengthening the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act.
• Encouraging Congress to continue support for STLCC’s workforce education mission as it did through previous Trade Adjustment Assistance Community College and Career Training programs.
• Bolstering job training and career and technical education by increasing funding for the Strengthening Community College Training grants.

They also shared information about programs for which the College has received approximately $35 million in federal funds, including:

• Department of Labor support for Missouri Apprenticeships in Manufacturing.
• Congressionally directed spending for the new Health Sciences Center at the Florissant Valley campus and for new geospatial training and education programs.
• Department of Education programs for various student support services.
• National Science Foundation and Health and Human Services awards for academic and workforce programs.
• Environmental Protection Agency funding workforce job training and Brownfields programs.

“As the largest higher educational institution in the region, STLCC plays a key role in supporting communities and training our workforce,” said Jeff L. Pittman, Ph.D. “This time spent with our representatives discussing legislative priorities is an important step toward strengthening our College and St. Louis, one student at a time.”

The Association of Community College Trustees is a non-profit educational organization of governing boards, representing more than 6,500 elected and appointed trustees who govern over 1,200 community, technical and junior colleges in the United States and beyond and annually serves more than 11 million students.