CT State Advocates for Students, Workforce Development Initiatives and Education Funding on Capitol Hill
CT State President John Maduko took a moment with Congresswoman Jahana Hayes (CT-05), an alumna of Naugatuck Valley Community College (now CT State Naugatuck Valley), during the college’s meetings with legislators in Washington, D.C
CT State Community College (CT State) President John Maduko, M.D., traveled with a delegation of faculty, campus leaders, administrators, and student to Capitol Hill Feb. 4-7 to represent CT State Community College as part of the 2024 Association of Community College Trustees (ACCT) National Legislative Summit.
The group joined representatives from 1300 community colleges to advocate for community colleges and hear from members of the U.S. Congress, leading political analysts and other high-profile speakers about the current climate in Washington, D.C and legislative issues impacting community colleges.
“Our participation in the summit emphasizes the imperative of sharing our stories and those of our students with legislators,” said Maduko. “By doing so, we illuminate the indispensable role community colleges play in addressing critical workforce shortages.”
The CT State delegation met with the offices of U.S. Sens. Richard Blumenthal (D-CT) and Chris Murphy (D-CT), and Reps. Joe Courtney (CT-02), Rosa DeLauro (CT-03), Jahana Hayes (CT-05), Jim Himes (CT-04) and John Larson (CT-01).
The group provided updates on CT State and shared the national legislative agenda for community colleges. The discussion focused on bolstering the role of community colleges in workforce development initiatives, the need for workforce Pell grants for students in short-term non-credit programs, funding for key workforce programs, and other policies that affect community colleges and students.
Maduko also served as a panelist for the summit’s Kids on Campus Project Launch, a new initiative designed to bring more Head Start centers to community college campuses throughout the country. Seven CT State campuses have Early Childhood Centers and academic programs in early childhood education. His remarks during the discussion reflected a shared commitment to exploring avenues for enhancing the accessibility of childhood services and expanding CT State’s footprint to enhance services to students who are parents.