President’s Message

Earlier this summer, BMCC had the privilege of hosting a roundtable discussion on “Community Colleges as Engines of Innovation.” The speakers included Governors Eliot Spitzer of New York and Janet Napolitano of Arizona and leading
state and city educators. The theme of the conference was the indispensable role of community colleges in creating a vital and competitive workforce.
As SUNY Chancellor John Clark noted, “there is no disputing the
direct link between an educated workforce and the economic health of
a given state.”
It stands to reason: The nation’s community colleges have evolved
into a powerful educational force since they first opened their doors
more then a century ago. Today, there are more than 1,200 community
colleges across the nation, accounting for 45 percent of higher educa-
tion enrollment.
Within the community college universe, BMCC has built an
impressive record of achievement: According to data from the U.S.
Department of Education, we rank first in awarding Associate degrees
in computer information sciences, second in business management,
sixth in communications technologies, and ninth in education.
 
These statistics compel us to think about the expanding role of
community colleges and BMCC’s role in the global marketplace. As
was mentioned at the conference, community colleges are portals to changing economy.
It is estimated that 90 percent of the nation’s fastest-growing jobs
require some form of post-secondary education. There is no question
that community college graduates will be called on to fill an increasing
number of those jobs in the coming years.