Today is an exciting day for Monroe Community College faculty, staff, and students, as they welcome Vice President Joe Biden and Dr. Jill Biden for a discussion about education and the development of the workforce. Coming just one day after President Obama’s State of the Union address, Biden’s visit is his second to the upstate NY area. Earlier this month, the Vice President visited Albany to discuss infrastructure investment plans in the wake of Hurricane Sandy with Governor Cuomo.

Community college visits like today’s have been frequent on the Bidens’ schedules, as the Vice President has worked hard to promote their contribution to the nation and its workforce. In fact, Dr. Jill Biden herself teaches at a northern Virginia community college. The Monroe Community College community is justifiably honored. MCC President Anne M. Kress acknowledged, “Their visit shines a spotlight on the importance of community colleges and highlights the critical connection of college to career pathways. We’re excited that MCC’s leadership in building industry partnerships and using labor market information to drive workforce education is getting such recognition.”

It is this education-to-industry connection that Biden plans to address, a topic that is significant for members of the workforce in Rochester and beyond. Efforts to strengthen the American economy can only be successful when they are coupled with efforts to improve our education system. Given the high cost of tuition at many colleges, a renewed focus on community colleges is refreshing. They make education more affordable, giving more Americans the opportunity to gain the important skills and knowledge necessary for career success.

In yesterday’s State of the Union address, President Obama discussed specific measures for improving community colleges and their connections to the workforce. “It means connecting companies to community colleges that can help design training to fill their specific needs, and if Congress wants to help, you can concentrate funding on proven programs that connect more ready-to-work Americans with ready-to-be-filled jobs.”

Dr. Jill Biden has been an outspoken proponent of community colleges and their contributions, sharing her views at summits across the nation. In an interview with NEA Today, she shared a passion for higher education that proves a commitment to bettering the American workforce.

    “For the last 18 years, I have seen firsthand the power of community colleges to change lives. I have welcomed students to my classroom from a wide variety of educational, economic, and cultural backgrounds, and I have seen how the community college system offers them the same path of opportunity. I have students who attend classes on top of a full-time job. I teach moms who are juggling jobs and child care while preparing for new careers. I have many students working toward attending a four-year university. Community colleges connect the dots – granting two-year degrees, providing new skills training and certification, and providing an affordable path for those who want to move on to a four-year university.”

The implications of greater support for community colleges are abundant. Not only will they provide more Americans with the academic credentials they need to obtain jobs, but they will improve chances of success in those jobs. Currently, for example, only a quarter of all small businesses stay open for 15 years or more, but with a better educated workforce, we might hope to improve that statistic.

Kress is hoping that the Bidens will take just as much away from the visit as MCC faculty and staff will. “We can’t wait for the Vice President and Dr. Biden to meet our inspiring students and learn more about how their lives are transformed — and our community strengthened — by our outstanding faculty and staff and by the connection between MCC’s programs and regional economic development,” she said.

The Vice President and Dr. Biden were expected to deliver remarks at MCC’s Applied Technologies Center at 12:30 PM this afternoon, and attendance at the discussion was by invitation only.