A Message from Rod Paige,
Secretary, U.S. Department of Education
From the earliest moments of the American Republic, education has stood out as a core democratic ideal. For it is through learning, new experiences and the knowledge gained from them that the nation continues to evolve.
What does education represent? At the beginning of the process, it opens children's eyes to the world around them. As First Lady Laura Bush has noted, "it gives our children the tools they need to succeed in today's global economy." Moreover, she adds, "it fuels growth, because it unleashes individual creativity and provides the skilled work force essential to growth and development."
In the United States, universal elementary and secondary education enhances and enriches society as a whole. Higher education, too, is part of the daily experience for millions of men and women, as they stride towards vocational, technical, business, professional and intellectual careers.
Within higher education, the community college system of two-year programs is taking on a greater significance as time goes on. A century after the movement's creation with the establishment of Joliet (Illinois) Junior College, these schools are pivotal in workforce development, continuing education and the expansion of civic communal responsibility on a local level.
On January 8, 2002, President Bush signed the No Child Left Behind Act into law, closing a successful year of bipartisan cooperation in the U.S. Congress and opening a new era in American education. Under this new law, we will strive to provide every young person in America with a high-quality education -- regardless of his or her income, ability or background.
This will have a decided impact on community colleges. Reaching out extensively to America's expanding ethnic population, they prepare their students to live and work in a global setting, and, moreover, are havens for young adults from abroad seeking to find their niche in higher education in the United States.
When Tooch Van, Cambodian-born, addressed graduates of Middlesex Community College in Massachusetts, he was far from the ordinary speaker at commencement exercises. Indeed, for the celebrants, he was an uncommon symbol -- a one-time refugee who began in the two-year higher education program, then transferred to a four-year school. Today, he is about to enter a graduate program for future diplomats, at a prestigious American university. Someday, he will return to his native land -- an exemplar of American education in general, and the community college system in particular.
As these schools continue to grow, clearly their value to our citizens -- and to the citizens of the world -- will increase.
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