The idea of free community college has gradually moved to the forefront of the higher education debate. Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton and Bernie Sanders both agree that college tuition should be free for families making under $125,000, and Clinton has made the initiative part of the official Democratic Party platform.

While the Democrats hashed out their ideas at the Democratic National Convention in South Philadelphia, Community College of Philadelphia and the College Promise Campaign hosted a special screening of “No Greater Odds,” a documentary that highlighted the stories of five community college students at the College of Southern Nevada (CSN) as they overcame challenges faced by students who pursue higher education.

Following the screening, Dr. Donald Guy Generals, president of Community College of Philadelphia, joined Mary Cathryn Ricker, executive vice president, American Federation of Teachers; Michael Flores, communications and government affairs director, College of Southern Nevada; , Patrick Wirtz, the documentary’s director; and Christopher Cabaldon, Mayor of West Sacramento, for a panel discussion  that underscored the important relationship between community colleges and the actual communities they serve.

“Some of the issues we’ve seen daily through the news relative to our politics, relative to our policies, relative to our social engagement, relative to our economy—all have answers and solutions in what community colleges do,” Dr. Generals said. “For those who are disadvantaged and ostracized to the marginal parts of our society, it is the community colleges that make the difference.”

Community College of Philadelphia, along with other community colleges across the country, is making strides towards a more affordable, universal model. Last year, Community College of Philadelphia introduced its 50^th Scholars program, which offsets the remaining tuition balances for incoming Philadelphia high graduate students who qualify.

According to the College Promise Campaign, the average college graduate accumulates $28,000 in student loans. The increasing tuition costs cause low-income families and first-generation college students to lag behind in college enrollment by over 30 percent, compared to their higher income peers.

The College Promise Campaign is focused on driving non-partisan public support to make the first two years of community colleges across the nation as universal, free, and accessible as high school.

“We have to look at the importance, the public good aspects of community colleges, relative to our democracy, our economy, and our way forward as a nation,” Dr. Generals said.

The focus on student success begins long before students actually enroll in college. More and more students are gaining an edge by participating in dual enrollment programs.

On July 14,  nearly 100 higher education practitioners from across the region came together to share best practices in the first-ever Mid Atlantic conference on dual enrollment sponsored by the National Alliance of Concurrent Enrollment Partnerships (NACEP) and Community College of Philadelphia.

Conference-goers shared information about their policies and programs, funding models and recent innovations and trends. They eagerly exchanged strategies because they all had one goal in common: creating a more effective academic bridge between high school and college for students.

Dr. David E. Thomas, associate vice president for Strategic Initiatives and dean of the College’s Division of Access and Community Engagement (DACE), declared the day-long conference a “smashing success,” and thanked College organizers for their hospitality and “making a positive lasting impression.”

The College serves an average of 1,000 students who are part of dual enrollment programs, including early and middle college programs, such as Gateway to College, Master Charter Schools @ CCP and the Early College Program, its new partnership with MaST Community Charter School, which operates out of the College’s Northeast Regional Center.

For students like Jalil Ross, the Gateway to College program allowed him to get back on track toward achieving his academic goals.  “I was tired of failing, tired of things not working,” said Ross, 20, who entered the program after dropping out of high school during his junior year.

He went on to earn his diploma while earning college credits toward an associate’s degree. “Being in this program has completely changed how I operate in school. I wanted something to work,” Ross said. “This works.”

Don’t expect business as usual at Community College of Philadelphia. The city is growing and changing, and the College stands ready to meet the needs of Philadelphia and the students it serves.

Since his arrival two years ago, College President Donald Guy Generals has worked tirelessly to foster a quality learning experience that leads to degree and credential completion, workforce readiness, civic engagement and most importantly, student achievement.

“We know from the research amassed by Columbia University’s Community College Research Center, that for students to persist and to achieve academic success, they need clear direction and guidance leading toward a career goal,” Dr. Generals said. “They need to be assisted in identifying that goal and they need to have structures that provide the necessary guidance to ensure that they are in pursuit of their goal. This is a student-centered approach that requires institutional commitment and organization.”

This year, as the College re-positioned itself as the go-to institution for students aspiring for greatness, it welcomed two new deans and an associate vice president who share in that mission. Dr. Pam Carter, Chae Sweet and Dr. Jennifer Roberts all play vital roles in enhancing quality teaching, engaged pedagogy and organized and  proactive support services – all game-changing aspects of the learning experience that help ensure student success.

As Dean of Business and Technology, Dean Carter provides leadership by promoting instructional innovation, enhancing curricular offerings and strengthening program services to meet the diverse needs of students.

Prior to coming to the College, Dean Carter served as assistant dean at the School of Business and Technology Management at Northcentral University. She earned her Ph.D. in Business Administration from Florida State University; a MBA from the University of Maryland and a Bachelor of Individualized Studies from George Mason University.

 “We want to engage in continuous improvement efforts to strengthen our academic programs, making sure they best align with Philadelphia workforce needs and transfer institution requirements,” she said.

Sweet, dean of Liberal Studies, is responsible for overseeing the College’s largest division. The nine departments of Liberal Studies comprise most of the general education courses in the Liberal Arts program.

Dean Sweet has been instrumental in developing programs for the Guided Pathways model, a ground-breaking initiative focusing on giving students a highly structured learning experience that keeps them on a timely track to achieving their goals.

Beginning in Fall of 2016, her division will launch “First Year Experience 101,” a mandatory first-year course for all Liberal Arts majors that introduces students to ideas and strategies required for college success. At the end of the course, students will be able to map out an academic, financial and transfer/career plan for themselves.

“I intend to make sure the commitment and passion felt by the faculty is translated to students in the form of quality learning experiences and successful completion of academic goals,” Dean Sweet said. “I want students to feel as if they are in a wonderland of opportunity when they are in our programs. I do not want them to feel lost or confused.”

Before coming to Community College of Philadelphia, Dean Sweet served as associate dean of Developmental Education at Passaic County Community College. She received her Bachelor of Arts in English and Journalism from Rutgers University; an M.F.A. in Fiction from The New School and is currently completing doctoral research in Higher Education Administration at Grambling State University. She is the author of Novel Strategies: A Guide to Effective College Reading.

As the College implements the Guided Pathways model at scale, Dr. Roberts stands on the front lines of ensuring that programs of study are focused, effective and lead to completion.

Dr. Roberts, the College’s new associate vice president for Academic and Student Success, has made a career of examining and assessing student learning outcomes. At Community College of Philadelphia, she will work with faculty and staff to promote more effective and clear pathways for students.

“Part of my mission is helping students achieve their goal,” she said, adding that she will be reviewing with others multiple student success metrics to determine ways for continued improvement. She will also work with programs regarding academic pathways and various curriculum topics.

 Most recently, Dr. Roberts served as associate vice president for assessment at Northern Virginia Community College. She earned her Bachelor of Arts degree in German from the University of Rhode Island and her master’s and Ph.D. in Germanic Studies from the University of Texas.

Two years ago, in an effort to lose weight, Bill McDowell began taking daily lunchtime strolls around the indoor walking path on the second floor of the Mint Building — one of Community College of Philadelphia’s many wellness activities which promote a culture of fitness.

Fifty pounds and five waist sizes later, McDowell understands the power of a fit-friendly work environment.

“I was surprised quite a bit at the results,” said McDowell, an employee in the registration office on the Main Campus. “I definitely enjoy it, especially in the winter when the weather is bad. There’s no excuse not to do it.”

The half-mile walking path, along with many other campus health initiatives, have earned the College national recognition as a gold-level Fit-Friendly Worksite by the American Heart Association for the fourth consecutive year. The honor acknowledges the College’s “Your Wellness Matters” initiative, which encourages and places special focus on weight management, physical activity and smoking cessation to help employees comply with a smoke-free campus in January.

Additionally, the College has implemented incentives for employees for wellness points earned. All employees will receive a booklet explaining when and how they can accrue points for over $100 in prizes.

For McDowell, the walking path served as his road to wellness. During the winter, he walked four to six loops on the path depending on how much time he had. He also gave up processed foods, but walking the path was the only exercise he did. Not only did it pay off in pounds lost, but in relationships gained.

“I consider it part of the many benefits the College offers to their employees,” McDowell said. “You get to walk through the various buildings and see what’s going on at the College and see your colleagues that you otherwise might not get to see, which makes it nice if you haven’t seen anyone for a while.”

Community College of Philadelphia welcomed a very special guest to its 2016 Respiratory Care Technology Program Completion Ceremony last week, thanks in part to a unique relationship cultivated between a student and a politician, nurtured over frequently-served meals, heartfelt chats and words of encouragement.

Despite his hectic schedule, Mayor Jim Kenney found time to stop by the College and speak to the students and their families. He attended at the invitation of graduate Jamie Sliker, who first met the mayor when he was a city councilman and she was a server at a restaurant in Old City, where Kenney is a regular. The two have been on friendly terms ever since, but even Sliker wasn’t sure if he would accept her graduation invitation– so she didn’t invite him.

“He was kind of offended that I didn’t invite him,” said Sliker, who still works at the restaurant and, for now, serves the Mayor when he comes in. “When graduation came up, he said he was going to come and he was going to say something. I was like, ‘Okay.’”

The 21 graduates, who represented all ages and stages in their professional lives, listened as Kenney thanked them for their persistence and praised the College for establishing a program that has distinguished itself over time. Since 1963, the program has graduated 766 students and currently enjoys a 100 percent pass rate at the Certified Respiratory Therapist level, compared to a national pass rate of 73 percent. Students must pass all level Board exams offered through the National Board for Respiratory Care before obtaining a professional license to practice as a respiratory therapist in Pennsylvania.

Mayor Kenney’s praise was rooted in his deep appreciation for their skills, and stemmed from witnessing first-hand the power of respiratory professionals to save lives.

The mayor shared that his 81-year-old father, James, a retired firefighter, was recently hospitalized for what was thought to be a routine procedure, but wound up in intensive care because of fluid buildup in his lungs. “We thought we were going to lose him,” he said.

Mayor Kenney marveled at how the respiratory therapists, along with the doctors and nurses, assisted his father with his breathing exercises, and eventually got him out of ICU and out of the hospital. “He’s on oxygen, which he hates, “the mayor reported, “but the fact that he’s stubborn means he’s getting better.”

The mayor reiterated to the graduates the importance of choosing careers to improve their lives and the wellbeing of the city.

“The fact that you’re entering the profession is good for you because it’s a longstanding career that makes you good money,” he said, “but it’s critical that you’re part of our medical community because it’s what keeps our city’s economy strong.”

More than 100 thoughtleaders from across the Philadelphia region gathered last month for a workforce forum at Community College of Philadelphia. The forum was sponsored by Roadmap for Growth, a multiyear initiative of the Greater Philadelphia Chamber of Commerce. The panel members, comprised of some of the city’s most recognized educators and business executives, shared their agendas to promote economic growth and job creation — actionable ideas that Mayor Jim Kenney’s administration can work on to bring its vision of growth into fruition.

Community College of Philadelphia’s president, Donald Guy Generals, proposed an idea that he has woven into the fabric of the College’s administration. “Facilitating relationships between the business community and the educational sector are key. For the College to maintain its rightful place as a premier institution of higher education, it must strengthen its traditional focus while embracing an expanded mission put forth by new realities. An important part of the mission is taking a primary role in workforce development, readiness and economic innovation.”

The idea was met with a hearty round of applause by community stakeholders in attendance — the politicians, educators, business and nonprofit leaders, and activists — all with a shared mission to work together to connect young people to careers. Such partnerships not only help align the needs of industries seeking skilled and trained employees, but they strengthen the pipeline of graduates to satisfy workforce demands.

In addition to Dr. Generals, panel members included Dr. William T. Hite, superintendent, School District of Philadelphia; Nicole Anderson, president, AT&T Foundation, and associate vice president of social innovation, AT&T; and Robert M. Poliseno, regional executive officer, Mid-Atlantic Region, Chubb, a global property and casualty insurer. Daniel K. Fitzpatrick, president and CEO, Citizens Bank of PA/NJ/DE/NY, also delivered remarks.

During the dialogue, panelists addressed changes in the workforce landscape. Poliseno equated the approaching retirement of baby boomers in the insurance industry to a “silver tsunami;” noting that the city’s future workforce skews younger, very often requires more training and education, and is more racially and culturally diverse.

Otis Hackney, Philadelphia’s chief education officer, pointed out that in a city with one of the highest poverty rates, the challenge is to identify how to balance the needs of the workforce while addressing issues such as high school completion rates that fall below the national average, academic proficiency and family stability. Additionally, the city must determine a process in which businesses and community colleges can work together to expand job opportunities for young people.

One of those businesses, Starbucks, has already created such pathways through the 100,000 Opportunities Initiative, a coalition of leading U.S.-based employers; it aims to provide youth who face systemic barriers to jobs and education with internships, along with part-time and full-time jobs. Recently, Starbucks partnered with Community College of Philadelphia for a job fair that drew more than 200 invited job seekers. Starbucks interviewed applicants for 150 openings on the spot.

Dr. Generals has frequently engaged in conversations with community and business leaders about ways the College can best connect with businesses to produce an educated and skilled workforce. His overriding conclusion? “We need to be more comprehensive and more organic in everything we do,” he said.

Some of the ideas highlighted included:

• Supporting a more holistic approach to education through a community schools model
• Offering more high school internships so students can learn what having a job entails
• Facilitating a more substantial dialogue between business executives and higher education leaders to better serve evolving workforce needs
• Making Philadelphia a destination for educators and teachers potentially through incentive programs
• Exposing students to potential careers — especially insurance, finance and accounting — at an early age
• Using technology to scale the impact of education at a reduced cost

The gap between workforce development and placement must be closed, Dr. Generals said. “We need to have real-time, right-now job opportunities for our students,” he said. “We can train them and get them ready, but we need to know jobs are there today to have a more effective system of workforce innovation.”

Community College of Philadelphia has served as the springboard for every professional leap Luis Torrado of Northeast Philly has made over the past 30 years.

Community College of Philadelphia enabled Torrado, a 1987 graduate, to land his first professional job drafting at one of the region’s largest electrical companies. Fast forward 27 years. Torrado, now owner of Philadelphia-based Torrado Construction, credits the College, specifically its Goldman Sachs 10,000 Small Businesses program, for equipping him and other graduates with the tangible and intangible tools needed to grow. And grow he has.

Torrado’s Port Richmond-based general construction firm saw revenues skyrocket from $4 million in 2012 to a $13.7 million in fiscal 2015, an increase of over 200 percent over three years, and is projected to add 50 more employees over the next five years.

That’s phenomenal growth, by any standard.

“The program gave me the confidence I needed to move forward,” said Torrado, a 2014 graduate of the Goldman Sachs program for up-and coming entrepreneurs. “I learned I was much smarter than I thought I was. I became a leader.”

Since it came to the region, 10,000 Small Businesses-Greater Philadelphia has graduated 251 area business owners, putting them on a path to sustained growth. A new study recently released by Babson College found that small business owners who complete the program in this region report creating new jobs just six months after graduating, and 61 percent report increase in revenues.

The program provides entrepreneurs with best practices and strategies to help create jobs , plan for future growth , and, in Torrado’s case, gain more confidence.

Not that Torrado was ever a shrinking violet. Even back when he was a student, he never shrunk away from achievement.

Nobody in Torrado’s close-knit family had any ties in construction. Torrado had no reputation, no references, no proven track record, which are all must-haves for success in a business that relies on referrals. But that never stopped him. He possessed a relentless work ethic, instilled by his parents, as well as a belief in himself, even in the early days when he ran his business out of his parents’ home with only two employees in the field.

“I always had a feeling I would do something,” he said.

As a college student, he also took advantage of every opportunity. In 1986, when Community College of Philadelphia made an internship available at Forest Electric Corp., one of the premiere electrical companies in Philadelphia, Torrado jumped on it.

He wound up working for Forest Electric five years and learned all operational aspects of the sprawling business. By 1996, Torrado was ready to incorporate his own firm.

Business grew slowly at first. Torrado Construction initially renovated residential properties, then graduated to commercial renovations, ink removal and painting services. The firm was getting the business, but had no cohesive blueprint for growth .

By the time he enrolled in the 10,000 Small Businesses program, “I was at a place where I was driving blind,” he says. “I was just bidding work without really focusing on where we were and where we wanted to be.”

Since completing the program, Torrado has learned, with the assistance from Philadelphia Industrial Development Corporation, how to put a line of financing in place, increased his knowledge of forecasts and budgets and has put more strident deadlines in place for completion of projects.

The College and the contractor have grown older and stronger together. “It felt good to contribute to a college I attended,” Torrado said.

Not to mention a College that has reinvented itself to meet the needs of successful graduates.

Forty-nine Community College of Philadelphia employees who have a combined 785 years of service were honored last week during the 32nd Annual Classified/Confidential Employee Luncheon in the Great Hall.

More than 250 employees celebrated their colleagues and friends for their continued dedication to the College and its students. Amidst a festive atmosphere filled with balloons and music, employees who had accumulated five years of service up to 40 years were recognized with applause, certificates, a lunch buffet and a special thank you from President Donald Guy Generals.

“This is my favorite event aside from graduation,” Dr. Generals said. “It’s an opportunity to say thank you to all of you who work in this space where the rubber hits the road, where the aspirations of the college are able to move forward, and our students are served in ways that enable them to be successful.”

His sentiments were echoed by the College’s Board of Trustees Vice Chair Suzanne Biemiller, who also offered heartfelt thanks to the honorees.

Linda Guertin, the College’s sole 40- year veteran listed among the ranks of classified/confident employees, received special recognition. Guertin, who serves as a cataloger in the College’s library, said the reason for her longevity is simple: “I love what I do here.”

Events such as the luncheon “bring a sense of community,” Guertin added. “I have a lot of friends here and they are all at this table. I’ve known them for years and they’re like my second family.”

Guertin’s feelings reiterated Dr. Generals’ view regarding why so many employees enjoy long tenures at Community College of Philadelphia.

“It’s a great institution to work for,” he said. “If you’re looking to do important work, make a change in the community and add value to your life, this is the place to be.”

“What foods are good for your teeth and what foods are bad?”

“What if a baby was born with a tooth? Does that count as its first set of teeth?”

“What other colors can your teeth turn besides green?”

Those were just a sampling of the questions Sandi Fisher’s fifth graders posed to Theresa Grady, Dental Hygiene program director at Community College of Philadelphia, during Grady’s visit to William Cramp Elementary School, located in the city’s Fairhill neighborhood.

The student-reporters interviewed Grady as part of their school’s partnership with Healthy NewsWorks, a Philadelphia-area nonprofit program that empowers student journalists to transform the health of their communities by producing school-based health newspapers, related media and an annual book that profiles area health leaders. The College serves as one of the sponsors of the 2016 book, “Leading Healthy Change in Our Communities 2016,” which will be distributed to schools, libraries, medical offices and other community venues.

Healthy NewsWorks currently partners with 14 public and independent K-8 schools in the Philadelphia region. And, recently, Community College of Philadelphia joined its list of community health collaborators.

The partnership with Healthy NewsWorks allows the College to expand its presence with younger audiences and share the opportunities it provides. Research shows that students who work on school newspapers in high school get better grades, earn higher scores on the ACT and get better grades as college freshmen.

Healthy NewsWorks is reaching these prospective journalists at an even younger age, introducing critical thinking skills that prepare them to live, work and engage as active citizens.

Dr. Warren Hilton, Community College of Philadelphia’s dean of Enrollment Management, said the College’s partnership with Healthy NewsWorks is symbiotic as it gives the College access to Healthy NewsWorks' growing network of children and families and offers “a unique opportunity to target students who will be successful in school,” he said. “So it makes sense.”

The young journalists at Healthy NewsWorks, now in its 13th year, focus on health and wellness issues. This year’s special topic is “Healthy Smiles.” No other allied health program at the College fits that theme better than the Dental Hygiene program, which prepares its students to become oral health clinicians and educators.

The students of Cramp Elementary came to the interview with Grady well prepared, drilling her with their rapid-fire questioning. The veteran educator was right in her element, giving thoughtful replies while sharing her knowledge as an oral health professional.

The students’ eyes widened as Grady, a Community College of Philadelphia graduate, shared that, as a child, she knew she wanted to help others by becoming a dental health professional by extracting the teeth of her friends. “They had loose teeth that were bothering them,” she said. “I used a tissue and my finger. It would bleed a little but that didn’t bother me.”

The Healthy NewsWorks student interview is part of a multi-pronged, collaborative process unlike any in scholastic journalism, said Marian Uhlman, Healthy NewsWorks’ founder and director. Students start by researching the questions they will ask, and then, after interviewing the subject, work to turn out an accurate, informational news story that is of value to their class, their school and the families in their community.

"We are really excited for the opportunity to have our student reporters engage with experts from Community College of Philadelphia," Uhlman said. "The College staff and students were incredibly helpful, well-informed, and inspiring to our young reporters."

From all indications, Grady’s presentation was a huge hit. When she asked students how many were considering a career in dental hygiene, a half dozen hands shot up. Grady then invited the entire class to tour the College, its dental hygiene clinic and talk to its dental hygiene students on the spot. They did, traveling to the College in late March.

Before class was dismissed, however, a student had one final question.

“Is your job important?” the student asked Grady.

“I would like to think so, yes,” Grady replied. “Because I’m helping my students learn and helping people with their teeth. I’m a disease-fighter.”

An inspirational week of dialogue, discussion and action marked the Fox Rothschild Center for Law and Society’s 17th annual Law and Society Week at Community College of Philadelphia, a week in which judicial ethics were explored and social justice was the rallying cry.

Law and Society Week provided students, faculty, staff and community members with updates on emerging legal issues and trends while offering practical advice from respected experts. More than two dozen workshops, lectures, panel discussions and demonstrations during the week were free and open to the public.

Among the week's highlights was Edgar Cahn, distinguished attorney, law professor and one of the nation’s foremost advocates for social justice, who delivered a talk about community equality. “It’s exciting to be here,” he said, praising the College for its longtime support of Law and Society Week. “You are doing what very few institutions are doing. You are talking about justice.”

Informative, aspirational and still a burning advocate for justice, the 81-year-old Cahn shared his transformative experience of falling in love and marrying an aspiring African American lawyer, Jean Camper, in 1957, and subsequently being subjected to discrimination, prompting him to work even harder for social justice.

In keeping with their belief that the legal system should be used as an instrument for promoting social justice, Edgar and Jean Camper Cahn (who died of breast cancer in 1991) co-founded the Antioch School of Law in the early 1970s (now renamed the David A. Clarke School of Law at the University of District of Columbia). It was the first institution to educate law students primarily through clinical training in legal services to the poor.

For some visionaries, that would be enough, but Cahn didn't stop there. His desire to involve communities in promoting systems of self-help birthed the Time Dollars project in the late 1980s, a service credit program that now has more than 70 registered programs in the United States, Great Britain and Japan. The idea behind his use of “time dollars” was to mobilize a non- market economy that recognized and rewarded reciprocal contributions of service and caring.

“It’s essentially a tax-exempt barter system, where people earn credit to help each other and use those credits to help themselves,” Cahn explained. “Say for instance you have a sick child and can’t go to class, somebody can take notes for you. It’s a new kind of extended family.”

One social justice idea begat another. The Time Dollar philosophy inspired Cahn, in the early ‘90s, to establish Youth Court, aimed to keep teenagers out of the juvenile justice system, and help them learn to negotiate and communicate better. Cahn believed that people do better when they contribute to the solution of their own problems. There are now more than 1,000 Youth Courts in the United States.

“You can’t get to justice by simply funding programs,” Cahn said. “Money alone will not solve the problem. You have to involve the people the program is designed for to try to help you come up with ideas.”

A wealth of ideas was shared during Law and Society Week. The week started with an exploration of the psychological effects of war, specifically post-traumatic stress, told through a screening of “Our Way

Home: Transitioning from the Front Lines to the Homefront.” The documentary told the homecoming stories of United States veterans from World War II to the present. It was produced by Alexis Werner, who started the nonprofit, Seeds of Hope, as a way not only to understand the war her stepfather waged in Afghanistan, but the war raging inside himself upon his return.

College students, faculty and staff were treated to a lineup of panel discussions and presentations as varied as an examination of mass incarceration through a hip hop musical (“The Last Jimmy”) to a discussion by U.S. Department of State officials about the plight of international refugees; and a discussion of recent breeches in judicial ethics and the impact they have on public perception.

“The feedback has been phenomenal,” said Kathleen Smith, J.D., director of the College’s Fox Rothschild Center for Law and Society, who founded Law and Society Week with her husband, David M.Freeman, J.D., associate professor of Social Science at the College. “Students have been bubbling all week about what they learned. It’s about engagement, and sparking interest in the bigger world.”