Partnerships

Strategic Partnerships in Immigrant Education

The Community College Consortium for Immigrant Education has built strategic partnerships with national organizations such as the American Association of Community Colleges (AACC), Migration Policy Institute (MPI) and World Education Services (WES) to raise the visibility of immigrant higher education issues on a national scale; increase career opportunities for internationally educated immigrants and promote greater understanding of DREAM Act legislation, its importance for undocumented students, and the implications for community colleges.

Learn about IMPRINT, a new coalition of five nonprofit organizations active in the emerging field of immigrant professional integration. The Community College Consortium for Immigrant Education has joined forces with Upwardly Global, Welcome Back Initiative, Welcoming Center for New Pennsylvanians, and World Education Services to raise awareness about the talents and contributions of immigrant professionals.The   coalition collects and disseminates resources, advocates for effective policies, and shares best practices with organizations that serve immigrant professionals. Download IMPRINT’s latest report, Talent is Ready, that describes promising practices to effectively guide immigrant professionals in launching their U.S. careers.

• American Association of Community Colleges and CCCIE
  The strong support of AACC (www.aacc.nche.edu) and its president Dr. Walter Bumphus has been instrumental to the progress of the Consortium. AACC has provided opportunities to raise the visibility of CCCIE’s mission and work through published articles, interviews, and presentations at AACC-sponsored events. With the assistance of AACC Senior Staff Associate Kevin Christian, CCCIE is reaching a broad audience of community college leaders and professionals through the Community College Journal, Community College Times, AACC Letter, and multiple presentations to AACC’s constituents.

• Migration Policy Institute/CCCIE DREAM Act Study
  MPI (www.migrationpolicy.org) and CCCIE are collaborating on a study of undocumented youth who might benefit from DREAM Act legislation or some comprehensive immigration reform. Blue Ribbon Panel members of CCCIE provided critical feedback in MPI’s recently released report DREAM vs. Reality: An Analysis of Potential DREAM Act Beneficiaries to aid MPI in capturing the range of characteristics (age, income, level of prior education, Level of English Proficiency status, etc.) that may be related to the success of immigrant youth seeking to legalize under the bill using its “education pathway” (i.e. successful completion of two years of an approved course of college study). CCCIE members are also considering the community college implications for financial aid, ESL, student support services, and other administrative practices. Watch for CCCIE’s Call to Action, our official response to the MPI report and steps community colleges can take to better serve this population.

• WES/CCCIE Credentialing Workshops
  WES (www.wes.org/community) and CCCIE are jointly sponsoring on-campus workshops to help internationally educated immigrants obtain U.S. jobs. There is currently a void in licensing and credentialing information that could enable skilled immigrants gain recognition for their international educational and employment experience and apply their credentials in securing new careers in the U.S. Two credentialing forums have been held to date. The first WES/CCCIE credentialing forum was held on the campus of Northern Virginia Community College and was a huge success, with a turnout of over 350 students. Similarly, a second WES/CCCIE forum at Westchester Community College attracted a full house.  2013 saw seminars held at Palm Beach State College, Miami Dade College, Northern Virginia Community College, Montgomery College and City College of San Francisco.