Three Rivers Community College President Mary Ellen Jukoski, Ed.D., presented at the annual American Council on Education (ACE) Fellows Opening Retreat at the Marriot Hotel in Hartford. The annual week-long retreat focuses on learning goals in higher education. This year the program featured a segment dedicated to community colleges featuring Mary Ellen Jukoski, Ed.D., President, Three Rivers Community College (TRCC) and Daisy Cocco De Filippis, Ph.D., President, Naugatuck Valley Community College (NVCC)

Presenting Presidents at the 2019 Annual ACE Retreat. From Left: Mary Ellen Jukoski, Ed.D., President, Three Rivers Community College; M. Valeriana Moeller, President Emeritus, Columbus State Community College (OH); and Daisy Cocco De Filippis, Ph.D., President, Naugatuck Valley Community College

Their panel, called “Understanding the Value and Impact of Community Colleges on Higher Education,” provided an overview of the good work happening at community colleges in Connecticut and across the country, their role in higher education, and how they support their communities by making a cultural and economic difference.

President Jukoski noted that “community colleges play a vital role in the communities they serve by providing the education and training needed to have a skilled workforce in the communities they serve. They allow learners of all ages to earn an education that is affordable and accessible, and are economic engines for their communities.” Jukoski distributed examples the Three Rivers Community College viewbook and fact sheet, along with information on TRCC’s credit and noncredit manufacturing programs.

President De Filippis commented, “I was delighted for the opportunity to speak about my favorite topic:  the value of community colleges in sustaining the most sacred democratic principles of equity and equal opportunity for all.” She distributed examples of the arts and manufacturing programs at Naugatuck Valley Community College, as well as a document highlighting the mission, vision and values of NVCC.

Dr. Anita Banks, Associate Director of the ACE Leadership Program, who moderated the panel, thanked Presidents De Filippis and Jukoski for “taking time out of their schedules to share their wisdom and passion with the ACE Fellows. The session discussing the importance and value of community colleges was a capstone activity of our campus visit day.”