2175 Rayburn House Office Building Washington, D.C. 20515 Thank you Mr. Chairman, Congressman Castle, and Members of the Committee. I am pleased to appear before you to offer my testimony regarding the reauthorization of the Perkins Act. As President of Delaware Tech, a statewide system serving over 38,OOO students each year, I have seen first hand the many benefits realized through programs made possible by this Act. My testimony this morning reflects my role as a college president and my 28 years experience as a community college educator. It has long been the mission of community colleges to focus on issues of access, excellence and accountability in our career-oriented educational programs.
Community colleges are the critical link in providing workforce education.
This is especially true in career-oriented institutions such as Delaware Tech, where we work closely with advisory boards from business and industry to develop and deliver programs leading to employment. When you walk down any of our hallways, you'll see classes as diverse as the communities we serve. You might find banking professionals in a satellite down link conference, public school teachers learning how to use the latest software, working adults updating their technical skills, or welfare recipients developing job readiness skills. Other students are hard at work in our computer labs, nursing labs, and our culinary arts kitchens. In these classrooms are tomorrow's workforce.