JC joins with institutions across country in celebrating Community College Month
April 2, 2025
Jackson College stands as the “best decision ever” according to numerous graduates who have earned quality higher education credentials without crippling student debt. The institution now invites students, alumni, supporters, business partners and community members to participate in the 2025 Community College Month (#CCMonth) campaign, highlighting the College’s vital role and significant contributions to the local community.
#CCMonth is a grassroots education and outreach campaign coordinated by the Association of Community College Trustees (ACCT) across the United States every April. The primary goals of #CCmonth are to improve awareness of the economic, academic, and employment advantages of attending community colleges. The campaign also challenges the public and the media to reconsider common misconceptions of public two-year colleges.
“Community colleges are the local engines that open doors to higher education for all and enables students with limited resources the opportunity to enter a career with a living wage,” said Jackson College President Daniel J. Phelan. “Across the United States, students who choose to attend a community college for the first two years of their higher-education careers will save tens of thousands of dollars on the cost of a bachelor’s degree. Our college also has unique partnerships with local businesses designed to provide valuable workplace credentials. #CCMonth is an opportunity to celebrate the importance and value of our college to our community and to demonstrate how we are cultivating skills for the future.”
Public community colleges are a uniquely American educational model that was designed to guarantee access to affordable, high-quality higher education for all people. They are the primary educators of life-saving nursing and other healthcare professionals among many others. They also serve as an onramp to bachelor’s, master’s and higher-level degrees for many students, and particularly for the most demographically and socioeconomically diverse students. They guarantee fair admissions for all students. Many community colleges also provide support for students who need them, including those who are food and housing insecure, who need childcare while attending classes, and more. And without community colleges, many American students would not be able to access higher education at all due solely to financial limitations and other inevitable barriers.
In short, community colleges were created to serve the needs of their communities and to make good on the promise of American meritocracy, eliminating barriers — and they do it exceptionally well.
“Everywhere I go, I am told by current and former students that choosing to go to a community college is one of the best decisions they ever made,” said ACCT President and CEO Jee Hang Lee. “The reality is that many students don’t realize this until after they attend and realize what opportunities their community college gave them, and how much their instructors at the college cared about them. Our goal is to get the message through to students before they make one of the most consequential financial decisions of their lives: choosing a college or university.”
About Jackson College:
Jackson College serves nearly 8,000 students annually from across Michigan and beyond, offering a broad range of academic and career-focused programs. The College remains dedicated to student success, fairness, and supporting each student’s educational journey based on their personal circumstances. For more information, visit www.jccmi.edu.