As the nation remembered the lives lost in the September 11 terrorist attacks, Community College of Philadelphia held its own memorial service at the Bonnell Circle, where students, faculty and staff had a chance to reflect.

Dr. Donald Guy Generals, president of the College, said that even in an unthinkable crisis, the American spirit remained strong as families and communities stand united. He urged the group to preserve democracy and fight against social injustices.

“We remember those that died that day and celebrate their memory,” said Dr. Generals. “We also mark this day as an opportunity to reflect upon the responsibility of citizenship, especially in troubled times. Even then, we are able to stand together and help one another,” he said.

Kenneth Blume, president of the Student Veterans Club, presented Dr. Generals with a challenge coin. Originated during World War I, the coins bear an organization’s insignia or emblem and are carried by the organization’s members. In practice, challenge coins are normally presented by unit commanders in recognition of special achievement by a member of the unit. They are also exchanged in recognition of visits to an organization.

During the ceremony, Stephen Bachovin, coordinator for Veteran Programming at the Veterans Resource Center, paid respect to three Philadelphians who were killed in the World Trade Center attacks by reading their names and pausing to remember them. 

“Jasper Baxter, Kevin Bowser and Christopher Clark.”

“As a nation, when tragedy strikes, we do better when we come together and support each other,” said Bachovin.

The group also remembered student alumnus, Sgt. Brahim Jeffcoat. who was killed in action, in Iraq, in 2005. 

Community College of Philadelphia is preparing students to join the next generation of scientists through the Biomedical Technician Training (BTT) program, jointly developed by The Wistar Institute and our institution in 2000.

The BTT program was created to provide a gateway to the high-growth, high-demand life sciences workforce. In August, 10 students from the BTT program received their completion certificates at a ceremony held at Wistar. Since its inception, a total of 140 students have completed the BTT program, the majority of whom are female and from underrepresented minority groups.

BTT is designed to prepare students for new career opportunities as research technicians. The program combines academic course work at the College with specialized training in research laboratories at Wistar and other affiliated research facilities. This dual experience offers students seeking an associate degree the opportunity to acquire the skills necessary to qualify for positions as technicians in biomedical research laboratories at academic institutions and at biotechnology and pharmaceutical companies. These positions are traditionally held by graduates of four-year baccalaureate programs.

“We are going into the 18^th year with this program and we are training students for the workforce giving them the potential to be hired in the region as the next generation of scientists,” said Dr. William H. Wunner, Director of the Biomedical Technician Training Program at Wistar.

Amanda Moran, class speaker at the ceremony, seized the opportunity to apply to the BTT program while she was waitressing and pursuing her associate degree in Liberal Arts – Social/Behavioral Science. After graduating from the College in 2015, she wasn’t sure where her next chapter in life would take her until she learned about the BTT program through a friend. She loved her biology class and had a fascination with cells, so she knew this would be the next step. 

“I used to be a waitress and didn’t like going to work every morning, but now I love what I do and this is the path to my success,” said Moran. “I am grateful to the other interns and the lab mentors.”

Moran is transferring to Byrn Mawr College this fall as a Katharine E. McBride Scholar where she will pursue her bachelor’s degree in Biology. Bryn Mawr’s Katharine E. McBride Scholars are women over the age of 24 who are in the process of beginning or completing their college education. Moran’s dream is to eventually complete her Ph.D. in Genetics.

Bunthon You, another graduate, is entering Temple University School of Pharmacy this fall. He graduated with an Associate of Science in Biology in 2015 and currently works in the College’s biology lab. “This program taught me so much about lab technology and research. After completing pharmacy school, I want to do something in drug research at a pharmaceutical company,” said You.

 “This joint venture with the College and The Wistar Institute has so been successful in training and preparing our students to enter the biomedical research arena,” said Dr. Kristy Shuda McGuire, associate professor of Biology and academic coordinator of the Biomedical Technician Training program.

This past spring, the BTT program was expanded into the first ever, registered nontraditional apprenticeship to have been approved and credentialed by the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. The new Biomedical Research Technician (BRT) apprenticeship builds on the BTT program training to give interns more lab hours under the direction of scientists. Labs today are dependent on teams of skilled technicians, which opens doors to good-paying jobs.

Community College of Philadelphia offers Express Enrollment Day 

Wouldn’t it be great if you could move through the steps to enroll in college, all in one visit? At Community College of Philadelphia, you can do just that. The College is offering Express Enrollment Days, which are held at the College’s Main Campus and Regional Centers throughout the year, and enable prospective students to complete their admission application, satisfy their placement exam, register for classes and file for financial aid in a matter of hours.

“My friend told me about Express Enrollment Day and I went with him. It was so easy to do and I registered for 12 credits. People at the College were very nice and walked me through all the steps,” said 19-year-old Rene Jimenez who participated in Community College of Philadelphia’s Express Enrollment Day on July 25 at the Main Campus.

The July 25 Express Enrollment Day attracted about 194 prospective students (plus family & friends). There were 144 students who took the placement test.Many were also able to file their financial aid since the College held free workshops to help students complete FAFSA(Free Application for Federal Student Aid). In June, Express Enrollment Day at the Main Campus attracted 245 prospective and 225 took the placement test, with the majority registering the same day. 

“We have had a number of parents be so inspired that they end up filing applications and start their college education along with their children,” said Diane Kae, Manager, Student Outreach and Recruitment at Community College of Philadelphia. "Normally these processes take two to three visits to campus and must be scheduled into available sessions. Students, particularly adult students, are thrilled to get everything done in one day. We also individually guide the students through each step of the process which alleviates a lot of stress especially for the first-time students."

Creating a Federal Student Aid ID ahead of the visit for filing financial aid helps to expedite that process and visiting the ACCUPLACER website, which can be found at ACCUPLACER can improve test results.

To learn more about Express Enrollment and other activities, go to Admission Events.

Philadelphia is undergoing a revolution powered by the U.S. energy renaissance, and experts say the City of Brotherly Love has the potential to be the next big energy hub if it gets the highly-skilled labor needed in the natural gas distribution industry.

To meet the market demand, Community College of Philadelphia joined a Philadelphia-region consortium to offer training to prepare students to work in Pennsylvania’s growing natural gas sector. The inaugural class of nine graduates from the College’s Gas Distribution Pipeline Mechanic Training Program graduated this Spring. Students learned how to perform tasks needed to install and maintain pipelines for natural gas distribution systems, which provide natural gas service to residential, commercial and industrial customers.

The 11-week program includes 140 classroom hours, and 50 hours for Operator Qualification (OQ) from the Northeast Gas Association. The OQ is the national credential required by the U.S. Department of Transportation’s Office of Pipeline Safety to establish a verifiable and qualified workforce.  

According to T. Mark Andraka, senior engineer for PECO Energy Company, the need to replace old gas pipe infrastructure is not just a Southeastern Pennsylvania issue, but a nationwide issue. Most of the pipelines are made of cast iron and need to be updated to plastic materials, he said.

“There are many opportunities out there. This is more than a job; it’s a career. You have the Marcellus Shale and the natural gas industry, and then you have so many options concentrated here in this area,” said Andraka.

Industry professionals developed this new training initiative for the area citing statistics from the state Department of Labor and Industry, which said potential growth could add more than 600 jobs to the region.

“Through this program, it allowed me to work hand-in-hand with top contractors in the field and tour the job site for recruitment purposes,” said Trevor Mackins, a graduate of the College’s Gas Distribution Pipeline Mechanic Training Program. “This training put me on a good path to a better paying career and higher level of employment that brings jobs to the city and the region.”

Before enrolling in the program, Mackins was an electrical contractor and worked as foreman in construction both on the residential and commercial side.

“I was ready for a change since I’ve been in construction since the age of 12. This program at the College really prepared me for the future. There are 30, 40, 50 years of old infrastructure, and new gas lines need to be installed, so this is definitely a career for me,” he said.

The class demonstrated the College’s level of commitment to local employers, according to Dr. Donald Guy Generals, president of the College.

“This graduating class is like the maiden voyager and we hope to even develop this program more over the next couple of years,” he said. “We have the support from our industry partners and the city. It’s projected that Southeastern Pennsylvania is definitely in need of skilled labor in this field.”

Community College of Philadelphia’s Gas Distribution Pipeline Mechanic Training program was created by the Collegiate Consortium for Workforce & Economic Development in partnership with PECO and other industry counterparts to bolster the local gas distribution mechanic workforce. The consortium also includes Bucks County Community College, Camden County College, Montgomery County Community College and Drexel University. Curriculum for the program was developed through a coordinated effort led by the Consortium and PECO, and is supported by Philadelphia Gas Works, Henkels & McCoy and Utility Line Services.

“The demand for this kind of qualified labor is increasing and we are excited that our program has really taken off, and that the first class has completed the program. Our goal at the College is to train these students in the natural gas industry and prepare them for entry-level employment,” said Carol de Fries, vice president for Workforce and Economic Innovation at Community College of Philadelphia.

On Monday, Community College of Philadelphia delved into an issue that affects many Philadelphia youth today, as well as generations of relatives who came before them.

On the first full day of Law & Society Week, students, faculty and staff gathered for a session called “Savage Inequities: A Tale of Two Schools.” The panel explored how school inequity impacts youth, and their education in rich and poor communities alike. The discussion centered around bus trips that students from Philadelphia’s Kensington Health Science High School and Montgomery County’s Methacton High School, took to explore each other’s schools. Panelists included 12th graders from Methacton High and their teacher, Anthony Maida; James Williams, principal of Kensington Health Sciences Academy; and moderator David Keller Trevaskis, Esq, PBA Pro Bono Coordinator of the Pennsylvania Bar Association.

Maida said the project was an effort to build bridges that transcend suburbs and cities, and various economic groups. He said he wondered whether his students, who are from mostly white and wealthy backgrounds, understood the educational privilege at Methacton High School.

Then he assigned his students to read “Savage Inequalities” by Jonathan Kozol, which they discussed and his class later visited Kensington high school. Nick Falcone, a senior at Methacton High School who participated, still remembers the striking images of poverty as their bus approached Kensington High School.

Methacton School District has an annual budget of about $100 million dollars with an estimated $20,000 spent per student according to Maida. The district’s average class size is 22; while 98 percent of its students graduate from high school, with the majority attending four-year universities.

By contrast, the Philadelphia School District struggles with about 600 oversized classes, teacher vacancies and has about 6,000 students without permanent teachers according to news reports Maida shared. With a predominantly African American and Hispanic population, the district spends around $12,000 per child. At Kensington high school, Williams pointed out that the average class size is 33 students.

Though sometimes frustrated, Williams said he is encouraged by the dialogue sparked through the project. When his students went to Methacton High School, “it was eye-opening,” he said. “It’s important that we provide these opportunities.”

Maida added that the project brought together students who may have never met, and exposed them to one another’s realities. His hope is that his students absorbed the message that every child deserves a quality education. “The experience incentivizes me to do more,” Falcone said. “We’re the same; we just live different experiences, but we should be equal.”

Kensington High School students have been discussing their school exchange experiences and preparing to draft letters to local and state legislators, and begin a round of conversations with them. Principle Williams ultimately hopes to read two letters written by his students to the Pennsylvania House and Senate. It is important that they see the situation through a student's eyes, Williams stressed. "We need to humanize one other,” he said.

Bridget Miller, a senior at Methacton High School, said she drew a lifelong lesson from the project. “I learned that I can't draw conclusions about people without knowing their back stories,” she said.

Law & Society Week spotlights emerging legal issues and trends in Philadelphia, while providing practical advice from respected experts. More than two dozen workshops, lectures, panel discussions and demonstrations during the week are free and open to the public and attorneys.

The week's activities kicked up on Saturday, Feb. 25, with Community Law Day, a series of free workshops and clinics covering a wide range of topics such as Child Custody, Know Your Rights and expungement. More than 115 people were served.

“When people see how law relates to the technology they use, the food they eat, and just about every topic imaginable, that’s a real light bulb moment for them,” explains Kathleen M. Smith, J.D., director of the Fox Rothschild Center of Law and Society, who launched Law & Society Week with husband David Freeman J.D., an associate professor of Social Science at the College.

A complete list of events and activities is available on the website.

In honor of the late civil rights leader, Community College of Philadelphia students and staff took part in the Martin Luther King (MLK) Day of Service on January 16, 2017, at Girard College — a city-wide signature event.

Nearly 5,000 volunteers from organizations across the city took part in 250 service projects throughout the day. Elected officials also attended, and Philadelphia Mayor Jim Kenney and Gov. Tom Wolf spoke to the crowd. College President, Dr. Donald Guy Generals, and Vice President for Strategic Initiatives and Chief of Staff, Dr. Judith Gay, led the volunteers from the College, including 13 student ambassadors and two student government leaders.

Student ambassadors came up with the ideas for the six projects that were used during the event. A number of them worked for months ahead of the day of service, as they had to consider their works’ impact, timeliness and inclusiveness.

Volunteers who dropped by the College’s student-manned table had their choice of activities: some wrote Valentine’s Day cards for seniors and decorated socks for them; others wrote letters of thanks to President Obama for his service; while others created coloring books of famous Philadelphians, shared peace bracelets and left a one-word message of kindness on a peace wall.

Shalee Hill, a student ambassador project leader, said she enjoyed watching the young people in the crowd practicing the tenets of exemplary citizenship and interacting with diverse neighbors.

“I learned that across the racial and religious gamut people can help for the sole purpose of serving others,” said Hill, citing the example of a Muslim women she met who visited the College’s table and wrote many cards.

On a personal level, the peace wall was Hill’s favorite activity. “I wrote like 10 words on the peace wall,” Hill exclaimed. “I was so excited about this wall; I kept writing.”

Jenavia Weaver, coordinator of the Student Leadership and Involvement Center, has organized the MLK Day of Service at the College for the last 15 years. Upon an invitation from Girard College, she and other members of Community College of Philadelphia have been participating at the city's signature site for service for the last 7 years. This year, the Student Ambassador program, the Student Government Association and Phi Theta Kappa Honor Society each provided student representatives.

"We do it because we understand what service means," said Weaver during an interview she did with a Philadelphia Inquirer reporter. "If we could all do a little more service for others, the world would be a better place.”

Hill echoed a similar thought, insisting that she carries lessons of love and service from the experience to her family and neighborhoods.

“If you have a service attitude, you want solve problems,” Hill noted. “I like to serve because what I get out of it in return is more than what I give.”

By day’s end at Community College Philadelphia table, more than 100 socks were decorated, nearly 200 Valentine’s Day cards were written and 150 personalized letters with messages were ready to go to President Obama to thank him for his eight years of service.

Many seniors at the nearby Watermarks Retirement Community received a package composed of a card, sock and handmade bracelet.

Community College of Philadelphia kicked off its African American History Month celebration on Wednesday, Feb.1, with a breakfast at the Great Hall. President Donald Guy Generals and Sulaiman Rahman, founder and CEO of Urban Philly Professional Network, related storied achievements of the past to emerging issues of today, like immigration.

With the Trump administration’s recent travel ban of seven predominantly Muslim countries, Dr. Generals reminded the audience that African Americans’ gifts to the world have been their spirit of liberation and resistance.

"We have the obligation to take the legacy we are celebrating here during African American Heritage Month to embrace their cause; and find ways to advance their cause, while they’re trying to liberate themselves from the types of hostility thrown against them,” he said.

Rahman inspired students to reach for uncommon achievements, in the community and in the classroom. “You are me, and I am you” he said, reflecting on his shared experiences with students hoping to follow in his footsteps.

Rahman, a “C” student until the 7th grade, eventually realized that his football skills alone were insufficient in achieving his future goals. “If I wanted to achieve my goals, I needed to make sure that I took things seriously in class,” he said.

As he played football in high school, he simultaneously developed a deep love for math and science. Upon graduation, top universities competed to have him at their campuses, including Columbia University and the University of Pennsylvania. He chose to attend Penn, where he studied engineering, played football, and was drawn to the intrigue of entrepreneurship.

College helped him to discover his purpose, which was to launch UrbanPhilly.com to engage, empower and connect future leaders in Greater Philadelphia using technology and events. Currently, more than 16,000 people have subscribed his website. He also serves on the board of the Community College of Philadelphia Foundation, which enhances and enriches the educational experiences for students by providing external resources to support the College’s mission.

While traveling across the country, Rahman said he has discovered that people are the same in their aspirations, and that diversity has value. He cited the power of mind and imagination in envisioning a future, then urged students and staff — “to not just be a human being but a human becoming.”

With a vision and preparation, he said, people can become a leader in any given field. He added that when people have high expectations of themselves, it propels them forward. “How you do anything is how you do everything,” he exclaimed.

He encouraged students to make use of all the College’s resources and support services; and to strive to expand their network. “Be uncommon,” he urged students, and “seek opportunity not security.”

Ramean Clowney, a student, said Rahman is the ideal image of Black success to him. “This guy is phenomenal,” he said. “I learned from his life that it doesn’t matter where you started; it’s all about where you’re going — taking every opportunity for what it’s worth.”

Clowney also appreciated Dr. Generals’ words.

“I really like his leadership here at Community College of Philadelphia,” he mentioned. “It was just moving for me.”

For Carole Haas Gravagno, responsible citizenship simply doesn’t mean living purposefully as an engaged, duty-bound member of society. Above all else, good citizenship requires compassion.

Delivering remarks focusing on challenges and solutions to bettering life in the Philadelphia region, Gravagno made the case for compassionate citizenship at the College’s 2016 Judge Edward R. Becker Citizenship Award breakfast at Community College of Philadelphia.

As the eighth Becker Award winner, Gravagno—a philanthropist, dedicated board member, volunteer, and mother who believes all children should have same opportunities as her own—brought to life examples of compassion in action as personified by the late Judge Edward R. Becker (1933-2006), for whom the award is named.

Judge Becker was a civil servant noted for his down-to-earth humility for upholding the highest standard of the law and for his compassion to his fellow man. Flora Becker, his widow, told the story of a time several years ago when the couple hosted Gravagno and her husband, Emilio, a double bassist for the Philadelphia Orchestra, for an unforgettable evening of conversation and music—Ed Becker playing the piano, Emilio Gravagno on bass.

Both women reconnected with an embrace before the Becker Award breakfast, and now count that magical night among their cherished memories. Just two months ago, Gravagno lost Emilio to cancer and personally felt the power of compassion from friends like Flora Becker and others, which “has been such a healing force,” she said.

A former elementary and high school teacher, Gravagno has devoted much of her time to supporting programs that introduce the transformative power of the arts to children and youth, and has worked tirelessly for strong families and better communities. The list of organizations that carry Gavagno’s footprint is long—Play On, Philly!, The Stoneleigh Foundation, The Liberty Museum, Arden Theatre Company, People’s Light and Theatre Company, Please Touch Museum, The Philadelphia Orchestra, Philadelphia Chamber Music Society, Settlement Music School, and Morris Arboretum. She allows compassion to dictate her involvement. “They’re dear to my heart because they help people,” she says of the organizations she works with.

Compassionate citizens, Gravagno explained, are the creative thinkers and doers who use their talents and ingenuity to help others grow and thrive. Citizens such as Kevin Bethel, the former deputy commissioner of the Philadelphia Police Department who is now a Stoneleigh fellow, launched the Police School Diversion Program which reduced juvenile arrest rates by almost half since 2013. Bethel came up with a compassionate solution to the problem after hearing that a 10-year-old was arrested, taken to jail and fingerprinted for bringing a pair of fingernail scissors to school. “I’m proud that Kevin has shown us another way,” she said. “That’s compassion.”

Gravagno shared stories of compassionate citizens who have boosted self-esteem throughout the city by helping people accomplish what they thought they never could. Diane Wagenhals of

Lakeside Education Network developed a child care curriculum for first-time parents; Jane Golden, founder of Mural Arts Philadelphia, unites out-of-work artists and communities through collaborative mural painting; and the dedicated instructors and staff of Play On, Philly! who, through teaching music, treats every child as an asset, capable of reaching their full potential.

“That’s why I’m so interested in the arts,” Gravagno said. “One of the things I love about theater is that it gives you a chance to walk in somebody else’s shoes. That’s what compassion is—what is it like to be that other person? We get so involved with ourselves that we forget how it is. The other person has a story, too. That’s what motivates me.”

Previous Becker recipients include Supreme Court Associate Justice Samuel A. Alito (2015); U.S. Sen. Robert Casey, Jr. (2014); former Pennsylvania Gov. Edward G. Rendell (2011); Third Circuit U.S. Court of Appeals Judge Marjorie O. Rendell (2010); Co-Founder, President and Executive Director of Project H.O.M.E., Sister Mary Scullion (2009); former U.S. Secretary of Transportation William T. Coleman, Jr., Esq. (2008); and U.S. Sen. Arlen Specter (2007).

The Power Up Your Business initiative is a neighborhood-centered approach to economic development.

Through the program, Community College of Philadelphia will provide free training and business development tools to existing and aspiring small business owners that are located along the city’s commercial corridors.

By 2020, an estimated 30 percent of all job openings will require at least some college or an associate’s degree. President Obama has urged more states to provide tuition-free community colleges. Community College of Philadelphia offers free tuition to low-income students, but that standard should be statewide.