As Roary brings new excitement and a renewed campus spirit, the Community College of Philadelphia Lions are showing the city that gritty teams that play together, win together.

This fall, the men’s and women’s basketball teams at CCP have displayed endurance, courage, athleticism and a hunger for victory.

Much is at stake right now, as the Lions are garnering both local and national recognition.

The women (10-3) face off at noon Sunday, Dec. 15, at home against Southern Maine Community College. Southern Maine is a basketball powerhouse, ranked first in the United States Collegiate Athletic Association (USCAA).

The men’s team (12-1), which moved up three spots this week and is now ranked seventh among the National Junior College Athletic Association (NJCCA) Division III colleges, faces off at 7 p.m. Tuesday, Dec. 17 at Manor College. Admission is free.

“We are off to a good start,” men’s basketball coach Joe Rome said. “We are pretty talented and athletic. . . The guys seem to be playing well together. They like each other.” Leading scorers include guard Tyreek Johnson, averaging 17 points per game (ppg); forward Cameron Gardner (10.8 ppg) and forward Jordan Smith (10.7 ppg).

Kenyatta McKinney, the head coach for the women’s team, said he has rotated six players for much of the fall, but the women are well-conditioned from workouts in the weight room. Two new promising players are coming on board and will play next semester.

Collectively the CCP women rank first nationwide in their division in terms of total points scored, collecting 997 points. Their pressure defense and athletic skills have taken them to the top of the leaderboards of Division III. CCP forward Cassandra Colon currently is the third-leading scorer, collecting 304 points this season. Teammate Cyanie Hull-Smith ranks sixth in the nation, with 232 points scored. Center Aminata Gackou ranks first in total rebounds (162) and second in blocked shots, averaging 4.2 blocked shots a game.

The talent runs deep on this team. On Nov. 21, guard Elan Wali was named the conference’s Player of the Week, after picking up 19 points, 23 rebounds, 10 assists, 6 steals and a block against rival Valley Forge. Wali also had 15 points, 11 rebounds, 8 assists and 5 steals against Lehigh Carbon in the prior week. On Dec. 11, Colon was named player of the week after foraging 52 points, 19 rebounds, 6 assists, 3 steals and one block in her last two games.

After some early losses, CCP’s women are riding a five-game winning streak and showing chemistry on the court, McKinney said. “We have a family environment,” he said. “The young ladies care for each other. We want people to come out to see us. They are entertaining and they play hard.”

Athletic director Rogers Glispy said the Lions are living up to their new name — and working hard for their pride.

“Our players are dreaming and both teams have certainly set lofty goals for themselves,” he said. ”I've had the pleasure of witnessing their work over the off season and into this semester. I would call on the entire college community to come out and see these great student-athletes perform as they work towards their goal.”

 On Monday, September 23, 2019, the New York Life Foundation announced a $100,000 grant to Community College of Philadelphia, in partnership with the Afterschool Alliance. Grants were awarded to 26 youth development organizations across the country to support middle school youth during the out-of-school time (OST) hours. The grants mark the third year of awards made under the Foundation’s Aim High education initiative, and this year’s grants bring the total awarded under the program to $3.45 million. Afterschool, summer and expanded learning programs nationwide were selected for grants through a competitive application process.

Community College of Philadelphia’s Division of Access and Community Engagement (DACE) will use the funds to establish a science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) enrichment program focused on robotics and math enrichment for middle school students called STEM College Experience (SCE). This program will serve as an expansion of the long-standing and successful Advanced College Experience (ACE) program.

”The support from the New York Life Foundation will have a profound impact on the children in our community. This support will enable us to strengthen Philly’s K-16 pipeline by expanding STEM opportunities for middle school youth,” said Donald Guy Generals, president of Community College of Philadelphia. “We’re beyond grateful and we look forward to putting this generous support to good use.”

“Community College of Philadelphia and our other 25 grantees do vital work in their communities. Middle school is a vulnerable time for students, and without these programs children and youth would be without a safe, productive and enriching place to go after school or during the summer,” said Marlyn Torres, senior program officer, New York Life Foundation

Research has shown that for disadvantaged students, additional learning time in the form of high-quality afterschool, expanded day and summer programs leads to greater academic achievement, better school attendance and more engaged students. Further, a successful transition from 8th to 9th grade – middle school to high school in most cases – is particularly critical to student success.

“We’re delighted to partner with the New York Life Foundation in this effort,” said Afterschool Alliance Executive Director Jodi Grant. “The Foundation continues to do terrific work in this area, supporting children at a vital time in their development. These grants change lives by supporting OST programs that keep kids safe, inspire learning, and give working parents peace of mind in the afternoon and during the summer.”

In 2017, the first year of the Aim High program, the New York Life Foundation awarded $750,000 to 18 recipients, with grant periods of one or two years. In 2018, the Foundation expanded the program, awarding $1.35 million to 26 additional organizations. This year’s $1.35 million in Aim High grants brings the total amount awarded to $3.45 million, given to 70 organizations, in all. Since 2013, the New York Life Foundation has invested more than $41 million in national middle school OST efforts.

September 15 to October 15 is Latinx Heritage Month in the United States. In observation, Community College of Philadelphia faculty and staff are partnering with prominent Latinx authors, activists, artists and professionals to host a series of on-campus events. From a Latinx Comfort Food Tasting to an Art Exhibit, a Latinx Mentoring program meet-up and multiple seminars, these events will showcase Latinx heritage and narratives, while exploring current events and issues within Latinx communities in Philadelphia and abroad.

On Wednesday, September 25, the College began its celebration with two events: Diversity Dialogue: Puerto Rico Yesterday, Today and the Future; and a Latinx Fireside Chat with Dr. Generals, the College’s president. These seminars surveyed issues surrounding immigration, U.S. foreign policy and climate change, and their effect on Latinx communities in the Americas and its surrounding islands.

Charito Morales, a native Puerto Rican, presented at the Diversity Dialogue. The nurse and community organizer at the Providence Center in Fairhill spent four months in Puerto Rico shortly after Hurricane Maria to help provide disaster relief.

“Houses completely destroyed, people screaming for help, bodies floating in the water… the government wasn’t ready and the United States government was smacking us,” Morales said.

Morales’ presentation connected the dots between the United States’ colonization of Puerto Rico and the island’s struggle to recover in the two years since the hurricane. She reminded audience members that although Puerto Ricans pay federal taxes and serve in the U.S. military, citizens cannot vote in U.S. elections and do not have voting representation in Congress. Morales made it clear that the United States’ colonial rule over Puerto Rico has hindered its attempts at financial stability, growth and reconstruction. 

Morales connected the struggles of Puerto Ricans still living on the island to the 159,400 Boricuas who moved to the United States to escape the devastation.

“New York and Philadelphia have had the second- and third-largest communities relocated [from] Puerto Rico,” she said. “Philadelphia received 1,516 families after Hurricane Maria … 29.1% of Puerto Ricans in Philadelphia are living in poverty.”

Morales said her work at the Providence Center enables her to work with Latinx youth to fight for “better access to healthy, high-quality food, clean and beautiful community gardens and parks, and social justice in Fairhill and throughout the city.”

When asked how Philadelphians can help, Gilberto González, a graphic designer in the College’s Marketing and Communications division, who co-hosted the event, suggested that citizens turn to people in their own communities who are trying to make a difference for assistance, rather than toward large, government-run aid groups.

“If you have neighbors that are Puerto Rican, if you work with Puerto Ricans or other people that you’re connected to, talk to them. Because what a lot of us did here in Philadelphia that did not work with [larger aid organizations], was that while they were shipping containers of water, a small group of us were collecting water filters, stuffing suitcases and flying to Puerto Rico and walking through the streets and giving people water filters so they could have rainwater to drink every day. We had solar [powered batteries] too,” Gonzalez said.

Morales continued, “Philly Boricuas, what we did was, we had three planes that we contracted and we sent everything ourselves. We also had funding from Sonia Sotomayor, and she talked to Coca Cola Company and [they] let us use the container ships to [send supplies] to the island of Puerto Rico. That’s how we sent 36 container [ships] to the island of Puerto Rico.”

Latinx Fireside Chat

At his first Fireside Chat of the 2019-2020 school year, Dr. Generals hosted a discussion about the history of the United States’ foreign policy in the Western Hemisphere and the crisis at the U.S.-Mexico border. He discussed how the U.S. government has contributed to some of the issues that have caused violence and destruction in countries from which U.S.-bound migrants relocate.

Dr. Generals began the conversation by explaining the significance of the Monroe Doctrine; a foreign policy statement issued in 1823, which declared the Americas to be part of the United States’ sphere of influence. A cornerstone of U.S. foreign policy thereafter, it justified American occupation in countries like Nicaragua, Haiti, Panama and Honduras all throughout the 18th and 19 centuries.

Moving on to more recent history, Dr. Generals described how the desire to contain the spread of communism following the success of the Communist Revolution in Cuba led to U.S. interference in countries like Nicaragua and Guatemala. Supporting the violent military dictatorships of the Contras and Carlos Castillo Armas from the 1950s to the 1990s, the CIA and the U.S. contributed to widespread destabilization, and to the murder of many thousands of civilians.

Dr. Generals ended his presentation with a video depicting one of the many rivers in Guatemala that is running dry due to a recently built dam. Climate change has led to the destruction of rivers in Guatemala and has caused the death of local fish species which natives have historically relied upon as food, loss of access to clean drinking water and the death of crops. Dr. Generals spoke about how the indigenous populations everywhere are losing the natural resources that have sustained them for thousands of years.

Afterward, when the President opened the floor for comments, and College staff and students shared their ideas on how we can all make small changes in our own behaviors to combat these issues within our communities.

Paula Umana, director of Single Stop at the College, shared her thoughts on how we can make those who have come to the United States from South and Central America feel more welcome.

“We have this crisis at the border, but we still use language of exclusion and we don’t acknowledge the journey that these groups of folks have to go [on] to make it here,” she said. “Whenever you see someone who looks Central American, or not exactly white American, or African American, don’t say ‘illegal,’ please. Say ‘undocumented.’ Don’t make assumptions that they’re not citizens because they may be citizens. Ask questions without making assumptions, be generous in the love and kindness that you have to offer, and if you don’t know, find things out. The College has tons of resources for students, tons of resources for these communities, there are some resources around the city as well, so we can connect those people and make them feel at home even when they can't be home.”

It’s hard to deter Jamail Khan.

The 20-year-old student at Community College of Philadelphia (CCP) has excelled, channeling his passionate and competitive spirit into both running for the College's track and field team, and academic studies in the Honors program. Graduating from CCP this past May with an associate degree in Liberal Arts – Honors, Khan received All-America honors for the 2019 NJCAA Division III Outdoor Track & Field season and gained admittance into Swarthmore College.

Kahn explained the augmentation of athletics and academics exemplifies the Honors program’s interdisciplinary structure.

“Humans are holistic creatures. We are not made of one thing, but we are an amalgamation of things,” Khan stated. “And so when we do one practice in one department of life, it always seeps into the other.”

While Khan is now a proponent of interdisciplinary education, the practice was not something he fully understood when initially entering the Honors program. On his first day of college, Khan recalled asking if the lecture he had just left was sociology or philosophy. Everyone laughed and said, ‘‘’Don’t worry about that. It's all just one thing.'”

“Over the course of teaching Honors, what we found was it wasn't so much about the material that the students were reading, but how they were approaching the academic work,” said  Dr. Brian D. Seymour, an associate professor in the Art Department and coordinator of the Honors curriculum. “We’re giving them the moves, and basic academic decorum, such that any situation they go into, any major, they'll be better prepared to read, write and speak at a higher level.”

Coordinated by a team of faculty members of varying disciplines, the honors program is a two-semester curriculum within the four semesters for an associate degree. Focused on a holistic process to learning, Seymour explained that Honors program at the College is unique in that students are admitted based on potential, not on past academic performance. The Honors faculty evaluate an individual student’s future promise in the program through an in-person interview.

“The original idea of a community college education is to offer an opportunity, right, an access to education for those who would not otherwise have a pathway to do so,” Seymour explained. “Historically, then, if it is an open-access college, which is what we are, it's antithetical to the idea of an Honors curriculum. [Since], an Honors program already suggests that you're evaluating someone based on their past academic record.”

At any given time, between 150 and 200 students are enrolled in the Honors program at the College.

Through a widened interdisciplinary lens, Khan was able to gain new insights on varying fields, including religion, which he plans to major in at Swarthmore College. Up until CCP, Khan explained his understanding of religion had been limited to an “emic view,” an anthropological term for someone from within the culture.

A Pakistani immigrant, Khan came to America at 14 years old after his father Muhammad Khan, an assistant professor in CCP’s English Department, was accepted as a Fulbright Scholar at University of Pennsylvania.

“When I entered the Honors program, they looked at religion from a completely different perspective,” said Khan, who speaks Urdu as his first language. “It revealed a lot more depth that exists in religion.”

Wrestling with two contrasting cultures—his native Islamic Republic of Pakistan and his current secular country of America—Khan internalized the lessons taught in the classes and applied them to his own life.

“It really shook me up, in my own spiritual journey and beliefs as well as my outward, intellectual understanding of it,” said Khan. “I think what Honors unlocked was my potential to make sense of two very contrasting worlds and societies, and what I could learn from my experiences in both.”

Khan explained that his revelations not only enriched his academic experience, but also his peers’. In group studies, Khan would be quick to provide an Eastern-based perspective to create a more nuanced discourse.

“[Khan] is one of our pride and joys,” said Seymour. “He's really a wonderful model for the other students.”

Khan attributed athletics and its emphasis on teamwork with his ability to work with other students. Concurrently, sports has allowed him to cultivate and harness a competitive spirit that drives him to continuously strive and improve in his academics.

“The competitive nature that I had in running really seeped into my academics, and it pushed me to do better,” Khan said.

At times, Khan explained it was challenging to juggle the Honors course-load of five classes and an athletic schedule of two-hour practices, four times a week. Khan also incurred a number of injuries during his time at the College, such as pulling his IT band during cross country practice, injuring his lower lumbar while dead lifting and suffering from debilitating sports-induced headaches. However, Khan affirmed that athletics ultimately provided him with the balance he needed to be a well-rounded student and a grounding force to refocus after discussing highly abstract concepts and ideas in the Honors program.

In addition to majoring in Religious Studies, Khan plans to minor in Linguistics and participate in athletics at Swarthmore College. Feeling “intellectually, physically and socially prepared,” Khan will enter the top college in the fall with fellow CCP Honors program graduate and Jack Kent Cooke recipient, Anyssa El Manfaa.

“The fact that you have two students going out of the Honors program and, in the bigger picture, Community College of Philadelphia to Swarthmore College, is no small thing,” explained Khan, who received a scholarship to Swarthmore College. “It just speaks to the fact that this really is the path to possibility, the school’s motto.”

Khan’s brother also graduated CCP in May with an associate degree in English and will return in the fall to earn an associate degree in Sound Recording and Music Technology. Khan’s sister, a rising senior at his alma mater of Jenkintown High School, plans on attending CCP after graduation.

STEM is the road map to Philadelphia’s economic future and the bedrock for future investment.

With that in mind, Community College of Philadelphia (CCP) has redesigned and upgraded its biology, chemistry and microbiology labs, and added professional-grade equipment.

More than 25 percent of degrees and certificates awarded to CCP’s Class of 2018 were for STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Math) fields.

In February, the College held a STEM Open House to showcase improvements to and a complete redesign of multiple laboratories and teaching spaces in the West Building on Main Campus. The renovation for the latest addition, the biology lab, was a $7.2 million upgrade, with $5.9 million of those funds coming from a bond issue.

President Donald Guy Generals hosted a panel discussion with local STEM leaders including: Dr. William Wunner, professor, director of Academic Affairs, and Outreach Education and Technology Training for the Wistar Institute; Dr. John Lee, associate director, CAR-T Discovery and Platform Development, Jannsen Pharmaceutical Companies of Johnson & Johnson; Dr. Darryl L'Heureux, American Medical Writers Association, Delaware Valley Chapter; and Adebayo Bello, CCP alumnus; Genetic Counseling assistant at the Children's Hospital of Philadelphia. Mr. Bello, who received a Bachelor of Science in Biology from Bucknell University, plans to enter medical school this fall.

Talent development, the role of science in the innovation economy and CCP’s role in attracting industry and diversifying the workforce were among the topics addressed. In a 2017 ranking by SmartAsset, Philadelphia’s STEM workforce ranked high in both racial and gender diversity. Women made up about 33 percent of the total STEM workforce while 18 percent of STEM employees were black.

“Community College of Philadelphia provides a strong talent pipeline for regional industries,” Dr. Generals said. “Our mandate is to provide students with career ladders that offer training for entry-level jobs, and future opportunities to grow and advance with cutting-edge programs like the Biomedical Technician Training Program at Wistar Institute."

The Biomedical Technician Training Program and the Biomedical Research Technician (BRT) Apprenticeship were established by The Wistar Institute and Community College of Philadelphia to meet the growing demand for technicians at area health care and research centers. Of the 152 graduates in the technician program thus far, 53 percent are minorities and 72 percent are women, which deepen the diversity of ideas in the industry.

STEM education has evolved, shifting from simply performing experiments to learning why and how they relate to coursework and to the world.

As interactions of learners and teachers have become more intentional, peer-to-peer study has taken on new importance. The new facilities form an educational landscape that supports effective teaching and learning with technology-rich classrooms, student study areas, state-of-the art equipment for DNA analysis, a high-tech mass spectrometer, professionally equipped anatomy, physiology and micro-biology labs, and a spacious open lab where students can confer with instructors and peers after or before class to review coursework and materials. The College’s biology and chemistry labs had not been updated since their installation in 1983-1984.

This year has been exciting for Community College of Philadelphia’s (CCP) women's and men’s basketball teams. The student athletes, coaches and the entire athletics staff worked extremely hard. With the season coming to the end, CCP’s teams finished strong and have much to celebrate.

CCP’s women’s team finished the season undefeated in the conference (10-0), earning the regular season championship, as well as the Eastern Pennsylvania Athletic Conference (EPAC) Tournament Championship titles. The women finished second in the Region with a final record of 15-1. Despite their loss in the Region XIX semifinals against the New Jersey Passaic women’s basketball team, CCP was ranked 10^th in the nation throughout the season. Several players were ranked nationally, and as a result received All-Region recognition. Additionally, key players Casandra Colon (freshman forward), Kyirah Beckham (sophomore guard) and Andrea "Dream" Bowleg (sophomore center) received All-Conference honors.

The CCP men’s team stayed true to their long-lasting tradition of being among the region's best teams. While finishing the season third in the conference (9-5) and ninth in the Region (11-10), the men persevered and remained firm in their purpose. Sophomore guard Ishmael Marshall received All-Conference honors and ranked 9^th in the nation in three-point percentage.

“I am very pleased with the teams' efforts this season,” said Rogers Glispy, CCP athletics director. “The women turned our program around and won the conference for the first time since 1997 — most impressive was how they achieved this by going undefeated.”

Additionally, four student athletes were named to the EPAC All-Academic Team: Andrea Bowleg (3.55 GPA), Cassandra Colon (3.5 GPA), Devonte Saxon (3.25 GPA) and Jemal Sheppard (3.5 GPA). Combined, the teams have 13 student athletes eligible to return next season.

Philadelphia Works joined the leadership from Community College of Philadelphia (CCP) for the official opening of the new PA CareerLink® Philadelphia Resource Hub at the Northeast Regional Center. The new Hub will serve as an access point to comprehensive services for both job seekers and employers located in Northeast Philadelphia.

“This new Hub will better serve our customers in the far Northeast,” said H. Patrick Clancy, president and CEO of Philadelphia Works. “Our goal is to connect both job seekers and employers in order to help fuel growth of our residents and businesses, while helping to align our services with Community College of Philadelphia programs. We are grateful for the opportunity to provide this critical service to our community.”

The Hub features a fully-functioning computer lab with access to all digital services provided at a typical PA CareerLink® Philadelphia Center. There is also a full-time site administrator, who will be available for one-on-one job search assistance, resume development, or referral to more comprehensive services offered at other PA CareerLink® Philadelphia locations. Regular workshops and other classroom-based instruction are planned for the coming months and will be facilitated by staff from one of the other four stand-alone PA CareerLink® Philadelphia centers.

Additionally, the new Hub will serve as a hyperlocal recruitment center for local employers. All PA CareerLink® Philadelphia locations regularly host pre-screening and on-site interview days for some of the largest, and smallest, employers in the city.

“We see this Job Resource Hub as another pillar in our commitment to serving the community,” said Dr. Donald Guy Generals, president of Community College of Philadelphia and Philadelphia Works board member. “It is exciting for the Community College and Philadelphia Works to come together to address the need for coordinated workforce development efforts in Northeast Philadelphia. We hope this new hub will benefit not only CCP students, but the entire Northeast Philadelphia community.

The opening of new PA CareerLink® Philadelphia location aligns with many of the recommendations outlined in the citywide workforce development strategy, Fueling Philadelphia’s Talent Engine, released last year. By expanding access to this resource, Philadelphia Works is helping more residents connect with free training and support services they need to enter, or re-enter, the workforce.

Student success starts with high-quality education and a safe space for learning says Vincent Scarfo, the coordinator for Community College of Philadelphia's new MarcDavid LGBTQ Center on Main Campus.

 "It's important to have a safe space on campus where you can be with people who understand what you are going through, and who are like-minded and where you can feel accepted," Scarfo said. "When you're not accepted or respected, it's hard to focus on your schoolwork."

 The success of the College’s diverse student population is a key priority, as is retaining students to help them progress to graduation and earn a proficiency certificate.

"We live in a society where everyone is assumed to be in one of two genders and assumed to be attracted to the opposite gender," Scarfo said. "But people who fall outside the gender binary often feel lost or aren't sure where they fit in. Or, those who do know where they fit find there are people who treat them with disrespect or discriminate against them."

 A welcoming campus is one that recognizes the details of comfort, safety, acceptance, cultural competence and diversity, and the latest inclusive practices, such as the usage of gender-neutral pronouns such as they. 

 That's why Scarfo's priority is normalizing the College's "chosen name" policy. Students' legal names are required on legal documents, such as a transcript or a diploma, but under the policy, students can choose the name that shows up on their student identification cards or college emails.

This "chosen name" option is particularly important, Scarfo said, for transgender students who may want to change their names to something that affirms their gender.

The College's international students may also want to utilize the “chosen name” policy, they noted, because some choose to temporarily use names that are easy to pronounce in English instead of their given names.

Scarfo, who started work at the College in July, also hopes to work with faculty members on further developing the Diversity Certificate program to include more information on how to be an LGBTQ ally and further explore the intersection of different identities. "I think there's a lot of willingness to learn and a lot of excitement about learning," they said.

They seek to make the library of cultural information on the LGBTQ community accessible to all. For example, many people, out of politeness, will address someone as "Sir," "Ma'am," Mr., Ms., Mrs. or Miss, but those gender-based honorifics can be uncomfortable for some, Scarfo explained. So an individual might avoid honorifics if an individual’s preferences are not known.

For more information, find the MarcDavid LGBTQ Center on Facebook, on Twitter and Instagram (@ccplgbtq) or visit the Center in Room S1-19E in the Winnet Student Life Building. To get involved with the student-run LGBTQ+ Club, email oak.troise [at] gmail.com (oak[dot]troise[at]gmail[dot]com).

Nina Ibemi and Regina Stoltz are the first two graduates of an innovative new apprenticeship program that qualifies them to work in biomedical research, an industry that fosters strong regional growth.

The Biomedical Research Technician (BRT) Apprenticeship is an extension of the 18-year-old Biomedical Technician Training (BTT) program, established by Community College of Philadelphia and the Wistar Institute to meet the growing demand for technicians at area healthcare and research centers.

At Wistar, Ibemi works in vaccine and tumor research. “I fell in love with histology,” she said of her new career. “We help scientists figure out how to make treatments.”

 As Ibemi and fellow apprentice Regina Stoltz trained, they were mentored by experienced professionals and worked side-by-side with top scientists and students in doctoral and post-doctoral programs, an opportunity they wouldn’t have had without the partnership. Two new apprentices are slated to begin training soon for in-demand jobs.    

 “Employers across Pennsylvania need skilled workers with the hands-on training that programs and apprenticeships like this provide,” said Pennsylvania Labor and Industry Secretary Jerry Oleksiak, who spoke at the BRT and BTT graduation in August.   “Today’s graduates were trained in industry-grade laboratories and have the skills to get good jobs in the science and research sector throughout our commonwealth.”

The programs have put a number of non-traditional students on a STEM career path, with 152 graduating from the technician program since it began, including the 12 honored on Aug. 2. Of the 152, 53 percent are minorities and 72 percent are women, which deepen the diversity of ideas in the industry.

The apprenticeships are part of Governor Wolf’s $50 million PAsmart initiative. By providing targeted funding for apprenticeship programs, STEM education, computer science, and more, students and workers get the training and real-world skills needed for the 21st century economy. In April, the Governor announced $3.5 million in apprenticeship and pre-apprenticeship grants, which included funding for the biomedical technician and apprenticeship programs at the College and Wistar.  

Ibemi had earned a graduate degree in chemical engineering in Russia, but could only find work as a tutor there. Now she’s excited about the prospect of advancing science.  Stoltz, was an artist who, tired of struggling, wanted a career. She marvels that she’s now on a path to a career where salaries can top $50,000 and hiring demand is strong.

Ibemi and Stoltz represent a new trend in apprenticeships, which have traditionally been associated with the building trades. These “nontraditional” apprenticeships apply a similar model to a different field. They combine classroom training and on-the-job mentoring in a program regulated and approved by the state. Apprentices are not interns, but paid employees receiving raises as their skills and knowledge increase.

“This 2018 graduating year of biomedical research technicians represents a first for Wistar as we are proud to graduate two inaugural students who have completed our first-of-its-kind, nontraditional, credentialed BRT Apprenticeship program alongside our 12 BTT Program graduates,” said Dr. William Wunner, Wistar director of outreach education and technology training, and director of academic affairs. “Our apprenticeship and pre-apprenticeship programs feed into the region’s strength in the life sciences by developing experienced research technicians who can add to the vital workforce.”
Dr. Donald Guy Generals said, “We are excited to witness the first two BRT Apprentices graduate in the first of its kind career path apprenticeship.  This model will expand to support the development of the region’s growing and industrious biomedical and biotech labor force.”

Community College of Philadelphia is opening its doors August 14-16 to the coin enthusiasts flocking to Philadelphia to see the World's Fair of Money® and the rare nickel that is expected to be auctioned off in Philadelphia on Wednesday for $5 million.

The Third Philadelphia Mint, which Community College of Philadelphia acquired in 1971, happens to be the place where the Eliasberg 1913 Liberty Head Nickel was minted. The Stack's Bowers Galleries is offering this coin for auction Aug. 15 during the American Numismatic Association's World's Fair of Money, which will be held at the Pennsylvania Convention Center Aug. 14-18, 2018.

The nickel is one of only five that are known to have been produced at the Third Philadelphia Mint, an historic jewel that is now the heart of the College’s Main Campus. The Mint is renowned as the place Gilroy Roberts, the Ninth Chief Engraver of the U.S. Mint (1948 to 1964), developed the design of the obverse (heads) side of the Kennedy half dollar, which was commissioned after the President John F. Kennedy’s death on November 22, 1963. The Gilroy and Lillian P. Roberts Foundation gave the College more than $1 million to preserve the historic Philadelphia collection and the legacy of an engraver whose likeness of JFK is recognized around the world.

On August 14-16th, visitors are invited o look inside the Mint building and tour the Gilroy Roberts: Mastering a Craft exhibit. The Mint Building is located at 1700 Spring Garden Street, Philadelphia, Pa  

For more information:  A history of the third US Mint and Gilroy Roberts Gallery