What Does President Barack Obama's Speech Mean to NACCE Members?

President Barack Obama gave his State of the Union Speech this week. It was upbeat, optimistic, and hopeful. But what does it mean to you, the community college educator? In particular, what does it mean to our collective efforts in community college entrepreneurship? There's no doubt that Barack Obama is an advocate for community colleges. He did something that no other president has done before: convened a summit for community college leaders. He also wants to pump money into community colleges as part of his ambitious job creation plans. During the State of the Union, Jackie Bray, a graduate of Central Piedmont Community College of North Carolina (a NACCE Member) sat in the First Lady's box. Ms. Bray is employed at Siemens and found her employment through an education and skills-development partnership between the college and the electronics and electrical engineering giant. President Obama believes more of this can be accomplished nationally with greater community college funding from Washington. But, our focus is on promoting economic vitality through entrepreneurship. So, I want to know how our members interpret the President's speech, and more important, how you'll use his outlook and comments to grow entrepreneurship at your schools. What do YOU think? What message does the President's State of the Union speech send to Congress and the nation about economic opportunity?           Do you use the news and details of political discourse in Washington, D.C. in your classrooms- specifically as it relates to teaching entrepreneurship?         If you could send a message to President Barack Obama and Congress about your views and needs in terms of promoting economic vitality through entrepreneurship what would you say?    As you know, NACCE is a key partner in the White House's initiative called Startup America. It's an initiative aimed at creating greater numbers of new businesses. That means the President is counting on us to share the ideas, concerns, and recommendations of our members. One of the benefits of NACCE membership is our growing influence in the most profound issue of our time: the revival of our nation's economy. Please take a moment and let me know your thoughts. Every discussion of this magnitude in Washington, D.C. has implications for what we do. What does Obama's State of the Union speech mean to you? What does it mean to community college entrepreneurship?

Best,  Heather Van Sickle Executive Director NACCE