In a message to the state’s community colleges, Dr. Nancy McCallin, president of the Colorado Community College System, has highlighted important accomplishments by CCCS.

The CCCS shared updates, with information ranging from Comcast’s inclusion of community colleges in its Internet Essentials program to a new strategic plan and marketing campaign for the system.

Among the highlights was the announcement of Comcast’s expansion of its Internet Essentials program to now include Colorado community college students. Pell Grant-eligible students will be able to purchase internet access at home for $9.95 per month.

“…Having technology and Internet service at home removes barriers to online learning, giving students greater access to information, the colleges, the faculty, and a host of additional resources that are crucial for their success,” McCallin said in her written message. “We are thankful to Comcast for providing this opportunity to our community college students.”

Also, CCCS has a new strategic plan, Bold Solutions: Colleges of Right Choice. The four major goals of the plan are to:

• Transform the student experience
• Transform the work experience
• Create education without barriers through transformational partnerships
• Redefine the colleges’ value proposition.

“Students are our focus…,” McCallin said in her message. “Our desire is for greater outcomes for our students and our imperative to fulfill the needs of our constituents drive the case to be bold as we continuously devise improved strategies for success. We aim to be and believe we are the Colleges of Right Choice for Colorado.”

The system also is embarking on an extensive new marketing campaign to increase awareness of the CCCS colleges, the system’s economic impact, workforce development opportunities and the positive effect a CCCS education has on students. An increased presence in the media will be sought, including on National Public Radio, The Denver Post, Facebook, Pandora, Google and elsewhere.

Community colleges play a significant role in the community and CCCS is proud of the positive impact of the Colorado schools, she said. With 19,000 concurrent students yearly and 30 transfer agreements and degrees with designation, more than 11,250 students transfer to higher education institutions annually.