This content was published: March 11, 2002. Phone numbers, email addresses, and other information may have changed.
PCC Selected as Finalist for 2002 MetLife Foundation Community College Excellence Award
Photos and story by James Hill
PORTLAND, Ore. – Portland Community College is one of six finalists from across the country for the 2002 MetLife Foundation Community College Excellence Award. The award spotlights colleges that have achieved high levels of access, retention, and advancement for the under-served populations of the community.Nan Poppe, dean of adult and continuing education at PCC, said that the college’s connection with its workforce development programs and its one- and two-year degree programs at the college, as well as extensive outreach to the community is the reason for the nomination. "The notion of having the community college doing a better job of serving the under-served population is a good idea,"Poppe said. "With the new economy changing so fast it becomes very important to find ways for all members of the community to be able to train for, and be able to find, a new job."The award will honor two colleges that have created supportive learning environments on campus and that have reached beyond their own walls to forge community partnerships with high schools, four-year colleges and universities and business and community organizations. On Sunday, April 21, two of the finalists will be selected for the award at the annual meeting of the American Association of Community Colleges in Seattle, Wash. Each winning institution will receive $30,000. Administering the award for the MetLife Foundation is Jobs for the Future, one of the nation’s leading organizations conducting research and promoting policies on innovative learning strategies and workforce systems. The MetLife Foundation, established in 1976, is one of the earliest corporate supporters of community colleges. It has a long history of supporting initiatives that improve the quality of education and help people succeed. It has contributed more than $90 million to education programs that facilitate change and cultivate effective learning environments at school and at home.
About James Hill
James G. Hill, an award-winning journalist and public relations writer, is the Director of Public Relations at Portland Community College. A graduate of Portland State University, James has worked as a section editor for the Newberg Graphic... more »