Five BC3 students will head to the state capitol next week to advocate for increased funding for community colleges.
‘Lobby Day’ in Harrisburg is being organized in response to a 2018-19 budget proposal from Gov. Tom Wolf that freezes operational disbursements for Pennsylvania’s 14 community colleges at last year’s levels. The Pennsylvania Commission for Community Colleges says many college representatives are urging lawmakers to increase funding by $10 million “to ensure community colleges remain an affordable option” in the state.
With more than 317,000 students, Pennsylvania’s community colleges are the largest provider of education and workforce training in the commonwealth, according to the commission.
Jocelyn Guy, a BC3 sophomore from Prospect, is one of those students.
“Community colleges are important,” Guy said, “because they give students the opportunity to attend at an affordable price.”
The average annual tuition for a full-time student at a Pennsylvania community college is $3,900. The average annual tuition for a full-time student at a Pennsylvania State System of Higher Education institution is $7,500.
Guy, 20, a business administration major at BC3, will be joined at Lobby Day in Harrisburg by fellow BC3 students Madison Morella, of Ellwood City; Alyssa Nusser, of Cranberry Township; Chris Slay, of Butler; and Lucas Carroll, of Beaver.
Morella, an 18-year-old undeclared freshman, said BC3 provided her with an affordable, last-minute option when she decided against attending a private university in Pittsburgh.
“Two weeks before move-in day, I decided that I wasn’t ready to go (to the Pittsburgh school) because I was unsure about my major, and I would have had a lot of debt,” Morella said. “My father told me about BC3, and I instantly felt like it was a good start to my college career with the affordable prices.
BC3’s tuition is the least expensive among 42 regional colleges and universities, according to the U.S. Department of Education’s College Scorecard. Guy, Nusser and Carroll expect to be among the 75 percent of BC3 graduates who are debt-free when they receive their degrees in May.
“Community colleges are very important for people who like me may be undecided on a major,” Morella said, “and are looking to save money.”
BC3 receives one-third of its funding from the state.
“Funding is always an issue in education,” said Kimberly D. Geyer, a BC3 graduate, a BC3 trustee, a Butler County commissioner and secretary of the Pennsylvania Commission for Community Colleges’ board of directors. “There are more demands and expectations being placed on community colleges because people are beginning to realize that community colleges are a viable source of providing quality education that is accessible and affordable to most people without incurring large amounts of debt.”