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By Rep. Martin Causer (R-Cameron/McKean/Potter) A high school graduate who just barely made it through, or one who wants to go to a state university and can’t afford it. A working parent who wants to learn the skills needed to obtain a better paying job. A displaced worker or veteran in need of retraining to get back into the workforce. A small employer looking for skilled workers to support an expansion of his or her business. Community colleges are a great option for all of these people…unless, of course, they live in rural Pennsylvania. A 2011 study by the Legislative Budget and Finance Committee found community college services lacking in 25 of the state’s 26 rural counties. Nearly every other state in the nation provides statewide coverage by community colleges, no doubt because their leaders understand the vital role these institutions play in helping to meet the demand for increasing and ever-changing workforce skills. When Pennsylvania’s community ...

The State Senate today by a vote of 42 to 4, approved legislation introduced by Senate President Pro Tempore Joe Scarnati (R-Jefferson) to create a Rural Regional Community College in Pennsylvania. Senator Scarnati, who introduced Senate Bill 1000 in June of last year, explained that the legislation is a bi-partisan measure which is based largely on recommendations by a Legislative Budget and Finance Committee (LBFC) study completed in December 2011. “I am very pleased to represent the 25th Senatorial District which includes eight rural counties in north western Pennsylvania,” Scarnati said. “The needs of residents in rural Pennsylvania are vastly different from suburban or urban districts, especially when it comes to post-secondary educational opportunities. Senate Bill 1000 will help set the foundation for establishing rural public community college opportunities in Pennsylvania, to help meet the educational needs of students in rural areas.” The LBFC study which helped provi...

HARRISBURG – A House Education Committee public hearing Tuesday on proposed legislation to bring community college programs to rural Pennsylvania identified both support for and concerns with the concept, said Reps. Martin Causer (R-Turtlepoint) and Kathy Rapp (R-Warren). House Bill 1701 seeks to create a rural community college pilot program serving an 11-county region of northwest and northcentral Pennsylvania. “Two things became very clear during today’s hearing,” Causer said. “One, every single person who testified recognized the need for additional education and training opportunities in our region. And two, some in the education establishment see my proposal as one that infringes on their turf and their funding. “That’s unfortunate, because the discussion really should be about our students in rural Pennsylvania and ensuring accessibility to affordable education and training programs,” he added. “This is about providing the students of rural Pennsylvania with the...

The Senate Education Committee voted this week to unanimously pass legislation which will create a Rural Regional Community College Initiative, according to Senator Joe Scarnati (R-25). Senator Scarnati, who introduced Senate Bill 1000 in June, explained that the legislation is a bi-partisan measure which is based largely on recommendations by a Legislative Budget and Finance Committee (LBFC) study completed in December 2011. “Senate Bill 1000 will help set the foundation for establishing rural public community college opportunities in Pennsylvania and help meet the educational needs of students in rural areas,” Scarnati stated. Scarnati noted that a public hearing on Senate Bill 1000 was held by the Senate Education Committee in Harrisburg in October. Testifiers at the hearing included the North Central Workforce Investment Board, American Refining Group Inc., Pennsylvania Commission for Community Colleges, Pennsylvania Department of Education and the Rural Community Col...

(News Release) WARREN -- The Northwest Charitable Foundation donated $10,000 to the Education Consortium of the Upper Allegheny (ECUA) to help the Consortium meet its mission of providing affordable, accessible associate degree programming to northwestern Pennsylvanians. Duane Vicini, president of ECUA, and Amanda Hetrick, ECUA board member and Superintendent of the Forest Area School District, accepted the donation on behalf of the organization. In presenting the donation, Stephanie Freitag, manager of Northwest Savings Bank’s Warren Commons Office said, “I am extremely happy to make this award, which will help support the delivery of quality secondary education programming throughout northwestern Pennsylvania. Without the Education Consortium, our region would not have local access to the opportunities that are now available through the Consortium’s collaboration with Gannon University, school districts and other partners.” ECUA partnered with Gannon University to offer...

(News Release) HARRISBURG – Appearing before the House Education Committee on Wednesday, Rep. Martin Causer (R-Turtlepoint) and Dr. Richard McDowell made their case for creating a rural regional community college pilot program to serve the 11-county northwest/north central Pennsylvania region. “This really is a fairness issue. Students in rural Pennsylvania need affordable access to the types of programs and services provided by community colleges in other areas of the state,” Causer said. “And from an economic standpoint, rural Pennsylvania as a whole needs this vital economic development tool to help jump start our struggling economy.” McDowell, who is president emeritus and associate professor at the University of Pittsburgh at Bradford, also chairs the Upper Allegheny Education Consortium, which has been working toward bringing community college services to the region for a number of years. “Community colleges provide low-cost, open admission education opportunities, as w...