Education Is a Civil Right: Tri-C, CSU Presidents Discuss Educational Inequity in cleveland.com Column
College leaders commit to helping students achieve American Dream
Though America has long been touted as a land of opportunity, not all opportunities are created equal. Many of the inequities in our society begin with a disparity in educational attainment.
Cuyahoga Community College (Tri-C®) President Michael A. Baston and Cleveland State University (CSU) President Laura Bloomberg addressed these inequities and what their schools are doing to reverse them in a Sunday guest column published by cleveland.com.
On the weekend celebrating the life and legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., Baston and Bloomberg noted that, while education is an inalienable civil right for all U.S. residents, socioeconomic hardships compounded by the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic have made exercising that right a growing challenge for people of color.
“King envisioned a ‘beloved community’ in which everyone has the opportunity to build a better life,” Baston and Bloomberg wrote. “He was instrumental in the civil rights advances of the 1950s and ‘60s, including advocating for the passage of the landmark Civil Rights Act of 1964.
“Yet almost 60 years later, King’s vision remains elusive. People of color are still underrepresented in higher education and in our region’s living-wage workforce.”
The presidents note that Tri-C and CSU have long worked to address educational inequity.
“Together, we commit to helping students achieve the American dream, no matter their financial capacity,” they wrote. “This includes strengthening existing programs that allow students to earn certificates and associate degrees from Tri-C and easily transfer to CSU for bachelor’s and postgraduate degrees.”
Tuesday, following a joint breakfast honoring King’s legacy, the schools hosted a summit that brought together leaders from both institutions in a renewed effort to address barriers to entry, strengthen program alignment and broaden career pathways
Read the full column at cleveland.com.
January 17, 2023
By Erik Cassano, 216-987-3577 or erik.cassano@tri-c.edu