Commentary: Community colleges are educational cornerstones

Once called junior colleges, today’s community colleges have proven to be the workhorses of higher education. What’s more, they are among the most democratic of all institutions. If an applicant is 18, is a high school graduate, or has a GED, acceptance is guaranteed.

Nurses, paramedics, police officers, auto mechanics and a multitude of skilled technicians and specialists are trained through our community college system. Students may also complete the first two years of a bachelor’s degree at a community college, other students may be there for personal enrichment, while some may be in need of remediation in core subjects.

It is appropriate that the community college should be a diverse academic environment, offering an array subjects, events and experiences for a population that is not only reflective of the community but also is the community.

The community college is part of the ecosystem of public education; it provides a gateway for people to pass from where and what they are into what they will become. The campuses and the classes of community colleges are the training grounds for those who will help manage our day-to-day cares, affairs and emergencies in the years to come. These colleges are essential to our community.

This is why President Obama’s America’s College Promise initiative is a worthy proposal. It provides for two years of community college, tuition-free, and is inspired by the innovative state-sponsored program known as the Tennessee Promise. Every person in every state and county, city and town ought to be enhanced by the promise of at least a two-year college education. We, as a community, all will be made a bit better and brighter by committing to and fulfilling this promise.

Educator BEN MILES lives in Huntington Beach.