| FOR RELEASE: June 15, 2009 |
Contact: Justin Hamilton, justin.hamilton@ed.gov Jim Bradshaw jim.bradshaw@ed.gov (202) 401-1576 |
Glenn Cummings, former speaker of Maine's House of Representatives and newly appointed deputy assistant secretary of the U.S. Department of Education, will lead a delegation of U.S. community college presidents and researchers to an international conference promoting community colleges Tuesday and Wednesday in Amman, Jordan.
The delegates will join education representatives from the Broader Middle East and North Africa (BMENA) region to make presentations on topics including business and education partnerships that promote workforce development and technological innovations that improve instruction and expand learning options.
Cummings will deliver remarks on President Obama’s education priorities and the importance of international education partnerships during the opening session Tuesday.
“We want to reinforce the message that the administration values community colleges as a means to increasing the number of college graduates in the U.S. and around the world,” said U.S. Secretary of Education Arne Duncan. “We will be sharing ideas for using education to drive economic revitalization.”
The State Department has invited 19 nations to the event, which will be held in Amman's Intercontinental Hotel. During the symposium, participants will discuss economic trends impacting postsecondary education, as well as policies and practices that improve the alignment of education and workforce needs.
The forum is a joint effort of the Education Department's Office of Vocational and Adult Education (OVAE), along with the Middle East Partnership Initiative at the U.S. State Department and the U.S. Agency for International Development.
Cummings joined the Education Department in April after serving as Maine's speaker of the House. In his new role, he will serve as deputy assistant secretary in OVAE, helping coordinate about $1.9 billion in programs related to adult education, career and technical education and community colleges.
These programs support a range of activities that help prepare youth and adults for further education and successful careers.
For more on the State Department's Broader Middle East and North Africa Initiative, see http://bmena.state.gov/. Information on Cummings' appointment can be found at http://www.ed.gov/news/pressreleases/2009/04/04092009.html. And, OVAE's home page is located at http://www.ed.gov/about/offices/list/ovae/index.html?src=oc
Following is a list of the U.S. delegation to the Amman conference, a group which includes college presidents and association representatives from across the country.
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U.S. PRESENTERS FOR BROADER MIDDLE EAST AND NORTH AFRICA (BMENA) COMMUNITY AND TECHNICAL COLLEGE SYMPOSIUM
- Bryan Albrecht, president, Gateway Technical College, Kenosha, Wis.
- Barbara Beno, executive director, Accrediting Commission for Community and Junior Colleges, Western Association of Colleges and Schools, Novato, Calif.
- Cynthia Bioteau, president, Salt Lake Community College, Salt Lake City.
- George Boggs, president and chief executive officer, American Association of Community Colleges, Washington, D.C.
- Katherine Boswell, director of the Center for Community College Policy, Higher Education Management Services, Academy for Educational Development, Salt Lake City.
- Noah Brown, president and chief executive officer, Association of Community College Trustees, Washington, D.C.
- Gwendolyn Dungy, executive director, NASPA - Student Affairs Administrators in Higher Education, Washington, D.C.
- John Halder, president, Community Colleges for International Development, Cedar Rapids, Iowa.
- Michael McCall, president, Kentucky Community and Technical College System, Versailles, Ky.
- James McKenney, vice president, American Association of Community Colleges, Washington, D.C.
- José Millan, vice chancellor, California Community Colleges, Sacramento, Calif.
- Stephen K. Mittelstet, president, Richland College, Dallas.
- Mary Spangler, chancellor, Houston Community College, Houston.
- Mary Spilde, president, Lane Community College, Eugene, Ore.
- Jerry Sue Thornton, president, Cuyahoga Community College, Cleveland.
- Desna Wallin, associate professor, University of Georgia, Athens.
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