Page 6 - Flathead Beacon // 9.10.14

6 | SEPTEMBER 10, 2014 NEWS FLATHEADBEACON.COM Lt. Gov. Praises FVCC’s Dual
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Angela McLean visits Kalispell campus as part of back-to-school tour
By MOLLY PRIDDY of the Beacon
Montana Lt. Gov. Angela McLean and the state’s commissioner of high- er education visited the Flathead Val- ley Community College campus in Ka- lispell last week, touting the school’s dual enrollment program.
The program allows high school seniors to take classes that count for high school and college credit, and FVCC is at the fore- front of this type of program in Montana.
“Flathead Valley Community Col- lege is truly a leader in our state and in our country,” Montana University System Commissioner of Higher Education Clay- ton Christian said. “Others are trying to emulate this school.”
Dual enrollment helps keep students on track to graduate high school, McLean said, and it helps propel them to a success- ful college career because it allows for ac- cess and college affordability.
At FVCC, the first six credits of dual enrollment are free, she said. If a student already has momentum heading into their college career, there’s more of a chance they’ll see it through, and it will help them get their degree faster.
Reducing the time it takes to get a de- gree is key in affordability, both McLean and Christian said.
McLean became Montana’s lieutenant governor after Gov. Steve Bullock appoint- ed her in February 2014. Prior to the ap- pointment, McLean worked as a teacher, an adjunct professor and was the chair of the Montana Board of Regents.
She spent 15 years teaching dual en- rollment, and believes it is an effective tool for both teachers and students. With that in mind, she was excited to work on the
Lt. Gov. Angela McLean chats with Jane Karas, president of Flathead Valley Community College, as well as students and faculty, about dual enrollment opportunities. GREG LINDSTROM | FLATHEAD BEACON
Enrollment Program
Dual Credit Incentive Program, which of- fers teachers credit-for-credit coupons for teaching dual enrollment classes.
Those coupons translate to cover the cost of undergraduate and graduate tu- ition at any in-state public college, univer- sity or tribal college. If the teacher doesn’t need the credit, they can transfer the cou- pon to a child, a student or a friend.
“It’s the single most robust effort to grow dual enrollment,” McLean said.
FVCC has a solid dual enrollment pro- gram, she said, and the college has also responded with speed and alacrity to the need for new programs to educate the lo- cal workforce.
The college has added myriad pro- grams in the past few years after collabo- rating with local business leaders about what types of skills are needed, so those businesses can hire local grads instead of importing talent.
“That’s how it should be,” Christian
said.
McLean said FVCC President Jane
Karas is a major reason the college has been so nimble in its response to the edu- cational needs of a diverse workforce after the recession hit the valley.
“It’s really exciting to see,” McLean said.
Christian noted that when colleges col- laborate like this, it helps the local econo- my as a whole. Across the state, about 88 percent of graduates in health care pro- grams at two-year colleges find work in the state within a year; and about 80 per- cent of all two-year program graduates are working instate in a year.
McLean said her goal as lieutenant governor is to promote educational suc- cess, from the earliest stages to graduation and beyond.
“The governor and I continue to make education our single top priority,” she said. [email protected]
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