GC to host open house and community conversation about Heads Up America

GC to host an open house and community conversation about Heads Up America

Grayson College’s Phi Theta Kappa honor fraternity is sparking a community-wide dialogue on the “Heads Up America” grassroots movement to support universal community college by hosting an open house on Oct. 27 from 5:30-7:00 pm in the Arts and Communications Center on the Main Campus.

Heads Up America was launched nationally in September as part of the College Promise Campaign proposed by President Obama. The concept is to make two years of community college education easily accessible for responsible adults throughout the nation. The proposal would reward students who are willing to work to maintain good grades while staying focused on completing a degree in a timely manner. Community colleges will have local control to set the criteria that fits their region as it relates to this program.

PTK chapter sponsor Mary Linder says this event is designed to start the conversation and begin learning what the College Promise might look like locally. “At this stage, we are simply trying to show the community what Grayson College has to offer and that our local citizens have much to gain by supporting the College Promise concept,” Linder said. “This is the first step in creating a college-going culture for our area.”

The open house is come and go, and will feature representatives from all segments of the college in one location. The public is invited to visit the campus and learn more about the educational and training opportunities of GC, plus pick up some literature about the national Heads Up America initiative.

GC President Jeremy McMillen said that many students in our area are already benefiting from federal and state grants, which are a large part of the funding structure of the national proposal. “A majority of our students already qualify for Pell and other grants. Plus our Foundation volunteers have been very successful in raising dollars for scholarships, which fills another large segment of the funding gap,” McMillen said. “With a focused effort and some creativity, I firmly believe that Grayson College could become one of the first in the state, if not the nation, to make this a reality for our communities and the hard-working students. I look forward to this and future conversations to hear what our local citizens would like to see their community college do to assist students who are willing to work for their grades and graduate in a timely manner.”

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