Dr. Jerry Sue Thornton Invited to Join U.S. Delegation to Jordan 

CLEVELAND -- Dr. Jerry Sue Thornton, President of Cuyahoga Community College, has been invited by the U.S. Department of Education to join a delegation of educators presenting at the Broader Middle East and North Africa (BMENA) Community and Technical College Education Symposium to be held June 17 & 18 in Amman, Jordan.
 
The State Department has invited representatives of 19 nations to the event. Symposium participants will discuss economic trends impacting post secondary education as well as policies and practices that improve the alignment of education and workforce needs.

“I am excited to be able to share the good work being done at Cuyahoga Community College with the global community,” said Dr. Thornton. “We have an excellent body of work to share with others who recognize the value of community colleges in economic revitalization, along with a model that will serve well in assisting others in the development of a community college.”

The delegation, led by newly appointed deputy assistant secretary of the U.S. Department of Education Glenn Cummings, will promote community colleges as a way to drive global economic revitalization. Dr. Thornton will join George Boggs, President of the American Association of Community Colleges; Noah Brown, President and CEO of the Association of Community College Trustees; Jose Milan, Vice Chancellor of Education for the State of California; Cynthia Bioteau, President of Salt Lake Community College and other U.S. education leaders.  Dr. Thornton will serve on panels addressing the topic “Multiple Missions, Multiple Models: An Introduction to Community Colleges in the United States and Student Transitions Toward Success.” 

The forum is a joint effort of the Education Department’s Office of Vocational and Adult Education along with the Middle East Partnership Initiative at the U.S. State Department and the U.S. Agency for International Department. The Broader Middle East and North Africa (BMENA) Initiative represents genuine co-operation between the G8 and European nations and the governments, business and civil society of the region, in order to strengthen freedom, democracy and prosperity for all. The U.S. Department of Education is covering all expenses related to the trip.