NASHVILLE, Tenn., Sept. 16, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- AT&T* today
announced a $65,000 contribution to
the Tennessee Board of
Regents (TBR) to support
non-traditional, underserved students preparing for high-skill jobs
requiring technology-based skills in Tennessee community colleges. The
donation will fund scholarships to help community college students
statewide begin a path toward completing their college degrees. The
announcement was made at Chattanooga State
Community College.
"This generous donation to Tennessee's community colleges will make a
large impact in advancing public higher education in Tennessee," said Vice Chancellor Dr.
Warren Nichols. "We're
grateful to AT&T for helping us maintain our forward momentum.
The initiatives this contribution will fund will directly enhance
and promote our completion agenda."
Each of the state's 13 community colleges will receive
$5,000 to award scholarships to
encourage students to participate in programs designed to help
students succeed in the classroom and be better prepared to enter
the workforce. The programs will target non-traditional and
underserved students.
"AT&T's commitment to education is a model we need more
companies throughout the state to follow," said Sen. Dolores Gresham, chairman of the Senate
Education Committee. "AT&T's investment in programs like
these with our state's community colleges will strengthen
Tennessee's future economy and
workforce."
"The relationship between business and education is an important
one for job creation in Tennessee," said Rep. Harry Brooks, chairman of the House Education
Committee. "Statistics continue to show that the jobs of the
future will require some type of secondary education, and helping
our students obtain degrees and certificates will lead to more job
growth and development for Tennessee."
In January 2010, the Tennessee legislature approved an aggressive
set of steps to increase the completion rates of students within
the institutions of higher education in the state.
"We are delighted to support Tennessee students who are acquiring the
skills they need to enter the workforce," said Joelle Phillips, president of AT&T
Tennessee. "Accelerated certificate and degree programs are a
great way to ensure our students are fully prepared to enter the
workforce and that they can find good jobs right here in
Tennessee when they graduate."
The Tennessee Board of
Regents' Office of Academic Affairs
developed a curriculum for accelerated pathways for college
completion. The goal is to increase completion rates at the TBR
community colleges. TBR created programs of study that encourage
and allow students with work and family obligations to enroll on a
full-time basis, devoting 20 to 30 hours a week, including online
education. Students now have the option to complete required
coursework for an Associate of Arts and Associate of Science
degrees within three semesters.
Students in these new programs would benefit from scholarships
that would enable them to participate fully in the four to
five-hour morning, evening or weekend blocks of time required to
complete an accelerated certificate or degree program. The proposed
AT&T Completion Scholarship program ($5,000 to each of the 13 Tennessee Board of
Regents' community colleges) would
allow the institutions to award financial support to students
enrolled in these programs and increase completion and entry into
the workforce in Tennessee.
13 Tennessee Board of
Regents' community colleges
include:
Chattanooga State Community College
– Chattanooga, TN
Cleveland State Community College –
Cleveland, TN
Columbia State Community College –
Columbia, TN
Dyersburg State Community College –
Dyersburg, TN
Jackson State Community College –
Jackson, TN
Motlow State Community College –
Lynchburg, TN
Nashville State Community College – Nashville, TN
Northeast State Community College –
Blountville, TN
Pellissippi State Community College – Knoxville, TN
Roane State Community College –
Harriman, TN
Southwest Tennessee Community College –
Memphis, TN
Volunteer State Community College –
Gallatin, TN
Walters State Community College –
Morristown, TN
Tennessee's Community
Colleges
Tennessee's Community Colleges
is a system of 13 colleges offering high-quality, affordable
education to prepare students to achieve their educational and
career goals in two years or less. The colleges offer associates
degree and certificate programs, workforce development programs and
transfer pathways to four-year degrees. For more information, visit
tncommunitycolleges.org.
About Philanthropy & Social Innovation at
AT&T
AT&T is committed to advancing education, strengthening
communities and improving lives. Through its community initiatives,
AT&T has a long history of investing in projects that create
learning opportunities; promote academic and economic achievement;
or address community needs. AT&T Aspire is AT&T's signature
philanthropic initiative that drives innovation in education by
bringing diverse resources to bear on the issue including funding,
technology, employee volunteerism, and mentoring. Through Aspire,
we've passed the $250 million mark on
our plan to invest $350 million in
education from 2008-2017.
About AT&T
AT&T Inc. (NYSE:T) helps millions around the globe connect
with leading entertainment, mobile, high speed Internet and voice
services. We're the world's largest provider of pay TV. We have TV
customers in the U.S. and 11 Latin American countries. And we help
businesses worldwide serve their customers better with our mobility
and highly secure cloud solutions.
Additional information about AT&T products and services is
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