SBCC Administrator to Participate in White House Initiative

The initiative is part of President Obama’s plan to advance the goal of having the best educated and most competitive work force in the world. Each week, the White House invites a group of Americans, businesses or organizations who embody “Innovate, Educate, and Build.” for a discussion regarding their respective fields. Different groups are highlighted each week ranging from educators to entrepreneurs to community activities.

Dr. Friedlander will attend the Wednesday, September 21 session in Washington, D.C. to share ideas and best practices for innovation and higher education in the community college field with senior leaderships within the executive branch and other community college leaders.

This particular group will feature a number of administrators from the 10 community colleges nationwide, including SBCC, that were named the finalists for the prestigious Aspen Institute College Excellence Award Program. This project, which has received endorsement from President Obama following the White House Community College Summit last year, recognizes extraordinary accomplishments at individual community colleges and carries a $1 million prize fund.

“Nothing is more critical at the moment to jumpstart the nation’s economy than adequately educating our workforce to meet the job demands of the 21st century, “said Dr. Friedlander. He added, “Being just average is not good enough anymore in today’s environment, and Santa Barbara City College has always prided itself on being an exceptional institution that provides students with the outstanding education they need to successfully compete in today’s competitive global market.. I look forward to sharing what we have been doing at SBCC and learning more from my colleagues at this Champions of Change session at the White House.”