Important note: Information in this article was accurate in 1995. The state of the art may have changed since the publication date.
PR Newswire - November 2, 1995
Community college students comprise almost half of all undergraduate students in U.S. colleges, a figure currently representing over 10 million students.
AACC's "Bridges to Healthy Communities" project will be conducted in collaboration with the Harvard School of Public Health and the Miami- Dade Community College Medical Center, with annual funding of $275,000 for each of five years.
Key to the ground-breaking nature of the initiative is its emphasis on the integration of community service with education, part of a growing trend on community college campuses to underscore the role of civic responsibility. Ten community colleges selected in a national competition will serve as demonstration colleges for the first year of the "Bridges" initiative and will then work with 200 to 400 other local colleges to replicate their programs in the four succeeding years of the agreement.
As part of a community-wide, disease prevention "infrastructure," the demonstration programs will develop partnerships among public schools, public health agencies and other local organizations. In addition, efforts will target boards of trustees' policies, curriculum development, and on- and off-campus student services. The project is expected to have a direct impact on more than one million students.
According to Lynn Barnett, AACC project director for the "Bridges" initiative, channeling the project through community colleges is central to CDC's dual goals of prevention and education. "These colleges are geographically well-distributed, with representation in every state and ready accessibility for 90 percent of the population. In addition, they have good connections within their local communities and are accustomed to working with a wide range of public agencies, schools and civic groups," Barnett said.
A further advantage of two-year colleges as a vehicle for HIV prevention education is the demographic make-up of their student body. Compared to their four-year counterparts, community colleges enroll a higher percentage of students from economically disadvantaged backgrounds and over half of all minority students. Both groups are considered by medical experts to be at increased risk for HIV infection.
The American Association of Community Colleges is a national association of two-year community, junior and technical colleges. Based in Washington, D.C., the association represents 1,100 accredited institutions enrolling more than 10 million students nationwide.
CONTACT: Norma Kent of the American Association of Community Colleges, 202-728-0200; or Internet: nkent@aacc.nche.edu/ 08:03 EST
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