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PRESS RELEASE Contact: Carmon Cunningham (617) 728-4446 ccunningham@jff.org     "EXCELLENCE AWARDS" HONOR TWO INNOVATIVE COMMUNITY COLLEGES Seattle, WA, April 21, 2002 West Hills Community College of California's San Joaquin Valley and Sinclair Community College of Dayton, Ohio, are the recipients of The MetLife Foundation Community College Excellence Awards. The winners were announced in Seattle on April 21 at the 2002 annual convention of the American Association of Community Colleges. Click here to download the brochure. MetLife Foundation Community College Excellence Awards honor these colleges for excellence in promoting educational and economic advancement for underserved youth and adults. Each institution receives $30,000 in recognition of its leadership in demonstrating a college-wide focus on achieving high levels of service for the underserved. Administering the awards for MetLife Foundation is Jobs for the Future, a leading innovator in strategies to accelerate educational and career advancement for both young people and adults. MetLife Foundation President and CEO Sibyl Jacobson explained, "We are happy to partner with Jobs for the Future to celebrate community colleges, an unsung national resource. They open doors to expanded educational and economic opportunities, often for those traditionally cut off from access to higher education and upward mobility. West Hills and Sinclair are examples of how community colleges can change lives." "The awards recognize innovative leaders among community colleges and will also spur other colleges to adopt and invest in best practices that help youth and adults succeed in school and in careers," commented Jobs for the Future President Marlene B. Seltzer. "West Hills and Sinclair are especially effective in reaching beyond their campuses and forging relationships that make education more accessible for people from backgrounds of poverty. Their programs and campus environments maximize student success." West Hills Community College serves a rural, largely migrant population in California's San Joaquin Valley, and it has made access for the area's Hispanics its highest priority. About 80 percent of people living in the region are first-generation Americans, and many are members of migrant farmworker families. Median personal income is $17,000, and unemployment in the district is well above 20 percent. According to West Hills College Chancellor Frank Gornick, "Our primary goal is to develop a college-going culture in communities where only one in ten adults has successfully completed a degree." Since 1994, Gornick has overseen a transformation at West Hills, which had lost touch with its changing community. Sinclair Community College, located in inner-city Dayton, Ohio, serves 22,500 students in the larger Montgomery County region through a variety of pathways to degrees and other high-value credentials. This community, too, faces significant economic challenges. For example, Dayton neighborhoods have twice the state average of low-income households, and the dropout rate from Dayton public schools is 43 percent. Overcoming these barriers to educational and economic success is central to the mission of Sinclair Community College, which has placed a priority on expanding outreach to underserved populations. "We are delighted to be one of the first two recipients to receive the MetLife Foundation award," said Sinclair President Ned J. Sifferlen. "It is an important confirmation that we are on the right track to making Sinclair a truly accessible portal to higher education for people in our community from all walks of life." Four other community colleges were selected as finalists for MetLife Foundation Community College Excellence Awards: Central Piedmont Community College of Charlotte, North Carolina, Community College of Vermont in Waterbury, Vermont, Portland Community College of Portland, Oregon, and San Jacinto North Community College of Houston, Texas. All exhibited innovative practices that can mean the difference between poverty and ladders into the middle class for underserved populations.   ###  Jobs for the Future seeks to accelerate the educational and economic advancement of youth and adults struggling in today's economy. JFF partners with leaders in education, business, government, and communities around the nation to: strengthen opportunities for youth to succeed in postsecondary learning and high-skill careers; increase opportunities for low-income individuals to move into family-supporting careers; and meet the growing economic demand for knowledgeable and skilled workers. For more information about Jobs for the Future, please visit the Web site at www.jff.org. MetLife Foundation, established in 1976 by MetLife, supports health, education, civic, and cultural programs throughout the United States. For more information about the Foundation, please visit the Web site at www.metlife.org.