Today is a great day to do business in Moorhead

Today is a great day to do business in Moorhead

The Moorhead Community & Technical College Foundation annual scholarship recognition and award ceremony recently provided nearly $50,000 in scholarships to worthy M State students. The Foundation provides tuition-scholarships to those who require additional financial help to complete their education.

A community college is an excellent economic development driver for the cities fortunate enough to have one located within their jurisdiction. The mission and goal of a community college is the same as all higher educational institutions: “To serve its community and nation by equipping students and graduates to be socially, economically, and civilly competitive in an ever-changing global world.”

Community colleges are practical, flexible, and generally less costly. Part of their mission is to transition students to middle-class prosperity. Not every student is ready for college three months after high school graduation. Some enter the workforce, and find after a number of years, that they need additional education to progress in their career.

Likewise, others realize that they wish to pursue a different type of work, which requires further education. For these individuals, a community college is a growing entry point into higher education. Additionally, many high school graduates do not need or desire the residential, full-time experience of a four-year institution, and are well served by a community college.

What are the economic benefits for a city? A look at Moorhead Community and Technical College is instructive: Fifty percent of the students are first generation and many are nontraditional. Upon graduation not only are they employed in their field of study, a vast majority stay in the local area becoming well-adjusted, well-informed, clear-thinking citizens, who can contribute productively and ethically to society. Therefore, the student, employer, and the general population reap the community college benefits: Economic Development.

Community colleges are places for young people to find direction, and for older students to retrain or reinvent themselves. There just isn’t a better return on investment than a community college.

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