Recognizing College Opportunity “Champions of Change”

Wednesday, September 28, 2016

The following press release was published on the White House website as a blog post on September 27, 2016.

On Friday, President Obama will visit Annandale High School to highlight the importance of a high-quality education and how we must strengthen and reform our education system to ensure American students have the tools, skills and support they need to succeed...

After the President previews these announcements in Annandale, eleven individuals from across the country will also be honored at the White House on Friday as “Champions of Change for College Opportunity” who have done important work in their own communities to strengthen access to high-quality education...

Here are the individuals who will be recognized at the White House on Friday:...

Pam Eddinger – Boston, Massachusetts

Pam Eddinger, PhD, is the president of Bunker Hill Community College (BHCC) in Boston. BHCC is an urban 2-year public institution serving 19,000 learners annually.   With 95% of entering students testing below college level in math and 45% in English, the College is scaling up reforms in developmental education to ensure retention and on-time completion. Compression and acceleration strategies for math and English take students to college level work in a year.  Companion programs such as career-focused early college pathways and intensive Learn and Earn internship programs add to the overall retention/completion strategy.  The Massachusetts community colleges educate one out of two undergraduates in the Commonwealth.  In light of the workforce development needs in the next decade, the increase in retention and degree completion of BHCC students, and their placement into high-wage, middle-skills jobs will be critical to the growth of the local economy....

View the full release at https://www.whitehouse.gov/blog/2016/09/27/recognizing-college-opportunity-champions-change