[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3cW-kst9Rm4&w=560&h=315]
Update:
- View Governor Cuomo’s Executive Proclamation marking October 3, 2012 as Completion Day: Completion Day – 2012 (.pdf)
- View photos at our Facebook page: http://www.facebook.com/generationsuny
The 37 State University of New York (SUNY) and City University of New York (CUNY) community colleges have set aside October 3 to send a simple message: Students who complete an associate degree have better prospects for jobs, scholarships and transfer to four-year schools.
The drive is empirically supported: According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, the average employee with an associate’s degree makes nearly $50 more per week than a worker with either some or no college at all. That figure adds up to almost $200 per month, or $2400 over the course of a year—money that would surely benefit all New Yorkers.
Aside from the monetary benefits of holding a two-year degree, it also serves as a platform for a brighter future. A student that holds and associate’s degree is guaranteed to get into four-year programs at SUNY schools and the types of jobs that a graduate may be qualified for drastically changes between holding a high school diploma and associate’s degree.
To help communicate this message, community colleges statewide will host workshops, guest lectures, special events, and counseling sessions to help students understand how completing a degree can change their lives, change their communities and change the nation.
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Clinton Community College answers some basic questions about Completion Day:
Why community colleges?
- About half of all undergraduate students in the country attend community colleges.
- Nearly one million “middle-skill” job openings – positions that require more than a high school diploma, but less than a four-year degree – are projected for New York State by 2018.
Why complete?
- Students who complete an associate degree can expect to earn $400,000 more in a lifetime than a high school graduate.
- Unemployment for community college graduates is typically 30 percent lower than for high school grads.
- New York residents who transfer directly from a SUNY or CUNY two-year college with an associate degree are guaranteed entry to a four-year SUNY college.
- The nation needs more college graduates to stay competitive. The United States used to lead the world in the percentage of 25- to 34-year-olds with college degrees. Now it ranks 12th among 36 developed nations.
What can I do?
- If you are a student, make a commitment to complete your degree!