April 23 is officially “UH Community Colleges Day.”
Gov. Neil Abercrombie will make the formal proclamation tomorrow, marking the 50th anniversary of the community college system we know today.
On the same day back in 1964, then-Gov. John A. Burns signed into law pivotal legislation that “would forever change the educational landscape of the entire state of Hawaii — affordable higher education,” a press release says.
Today, Hawaii’s seven community colleges serve more than 33,000 students statewide, “providing Hawaii’s citizens with the best opportunities and resources available in higher education today.”
An array of university notables will attend tomorrow’s proclamation, including UH Vice President of Community Colleges John Morton, UH Interim President David Lassner and UH Board of Regents Chair John Holzman.
Civil Beat featured the state’s community colleges — and the people who define them — in a headline story yesterday: Hawaii’s Community College Trap: Why Does It Take So Long to Graduate?
— Alia Wong
