Central Florida Community College gets Grant for +50 Students

New 'Plus 50 Initiative' By Community Colleges Reaches Out to Baby Boomers
15 Colleges Receive Grants to Develop Innovative Programs for Students
Over 50

WASHINGTON, April 28 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- As 78 million baby
boomers approach retirement, their attention is turning to staying active
and re-focusing their careers -- and they're about to get some help from
America's community colleges, thanks to a new "Plus 50 Initiative."

Ten community colleges will launch new "demonstration" programs for
students over the age of 50, with the help of seed grants from the American
Association of Community Colleges (AACC) and The Atlantic Philanthropies.
They'll be aided with mentoring support from five "mentor" colleges that
already have established programs for baby boomers.

Organizers say the project is designed to help with one of the largest
generational shifts affecting our nation, as baby boomers approach
retirement and consider how to keep their lives active, healthy and engaged
in careers and projects that matter to them.

"The baby boomer generation wants to stay active in retirement and
holds a wealth of knowledge and experience that society cannot afford to
see leave the talent pool," said George R. Boggs, AACC President and CEO.
"By retooling educational programs and adjusting for the needs of plus 50
students, community colleges can empower baby boomers to continue give back
by leading the vibrant and fulfilling lives they desire."

The three-year program is sponsored by the AACC and is funded by a $3.2
million dollar grant from The Atlantic Philanthropies. The 10 demonstration
colleges receiving grants are:

Chaffey Community College, located in Cucamonga, Calif., will start a
new program for baby boomer volunteers to mentor and tutor under-prepared
students and help them be successful in college.

Clover Park Technical College, located in Lakewood, Wash., will offer
an environmental science program alongside a volunteer on-site project for
baby boomers exploring sustainability. The program will apply classroom
lessons while restoring wetlands, forests and an oak savannah.

Joliet Junior College, located in Joliet, Ill., will offer workforce
skills certificate programs to students over the age of 50 for new careers
in high-growth jobs in healthcare and education.

Luzerne County Community College, located in Nanticoke, Pa., will
provide courses and services that encourage new job skills development, as
well as entrepreneurship for plus 50 students wanting to start a new
business venture.

Northern Virginia Community College, located near Washington, D.C.,
will expand educational offerings targeting baby boomers and reach out to
senior facilities with programs on retirement, personal finance,
entrepreneurship, technology literacy and good health.

Richland College, which is part of the Dallas County Community College
District, and is located in Dallas, Texas, will assess learning needs for
baby boomers, develop life-enhancing curricula for plus 50 students seeking
to re-define their lives and offer opportunities to retrain experienced
workers.

Santa Fe Community College, located in Gainesville, Fla., will address
the critical nursing educator shortage by training baby boomer nurses to
become instructors for nursing education programs, enabling them to pass
their knowledge onto to others and serve a valuable mentoring role for
younger nurses.

St. Louis Community College, located in St. Louis, Mo., will establish
and pilot workshops on four campuses that will help plus 50 students who
see retirement looming ahead of them, but are unsure about how to make this
next phase of their lives all they hope it can be. Travel study tours, art
classes and many other topics, offered in a format for non-degree seeking
students, will enable baby boomers to re-connect with interests they may
have set aside decades before while raising children and working.

Wake Technical Community College, located in Raleigh, N.C., will
centralize coursework and activities offered by three separate divisions
under one organizational umbrella and offer afternoon college classes at
convenient times that cater to plus 50 students.

Western Dakota Technical Institute, located in Rapid City, S. D., will
develop and pilot a national training model for baby boomers who want to
become seasonal rangers and interpretive guides at national parks.
Colleges receiving grants to serve as mentors for the program are:

Cape Cod Community College, located in West Barnstable, Mass., has
conducted focus groups and extensive surveys with baby boomers to identify
courses and volunteer opportunities. They plan to expand their current
programs and develop a talent bank that matches plus 50 students with civic
and service opportunities.

Central Florida Community College, located in Ocala, Fla., will develop
course offerings that will lead to new employment opportunities for plus 50
students, including online business classes, individual and corporate tax
preparation courses, training in less physically demanding medical fields
such as medical transcription, and intergenerational computer courses.

Century College, located in White Bear Lake, Minn., will help baby
boomers retiring from professional and supervisory positions apply their
leadership skills as community volunteers. They will also help plus 50
professionals who've been downsized out of their current jobs with skill
development courses in healthcare and technology that enable them to
re-enter the workforce.

Clark College, located in Vancouver, Wash., will redesign its small
business development curriculum to offer second careers through business
ownership at a wine and cooking school for wine hobbyists and food
enthusiasts. In addition, a joint program with the Area Agency on Aging
will train in-home caregivers.

The Community College of Spokane, located in Spokane Wash., will help
plus 50 workers upgrade or gain new skills and receive re-training to fill
regional job vacancies. The college will also expand course delivery to
rural areas using distance learning, so that plus 50 students located
farther from campus can participate.

For 88 years, the AACC has been the leading advocate for the nation's
community colleges, which currently number more than 1,125 and serve more
than 12 million students annually. Its membership comprises 95 percent of
all public two-year colleges - the largest, most accessible, most diverse
sector of U.S. higher education. As institutions committed to access,
community service and lifelong learning, community colleges have
long-focused on the needs of adults who are already in the workforce, many
of whom are seeking new skills and knowledge for changes in their lives and
careers.

To learn more about successful efforts by AACC member colleges to
respond to students aged 50 and above, please contact Norma Kent at
nkent@aacc.nche.edu, or at 202-728-0200. To learn more about the AACC and
The Atlantic Philanthropies, visit http://www.aacc.nche.edu/ and
http://www.atlanticphilanthropies.org/.