SEATTLE, WA (October 24, 2024) During the second day of the 2024 ACCT Congress, the catalytic role community colleges play in transformational economic changes was highlighted by keynote speakers discussing their role in Intel’s $100 billion investment in semiconductor manufacturing plants in Ohio.
“Economic development deals tend to be about land and water and incentives and those sorts of things, but the truth is those are short term. The long-term success of any of these [efforts] is going to be about the workforce we create,” said David Harrison, president of Columbus State Community College. “The understanding of the role we play in this space is inherent in what Intel does, and that’s incredibly exciting.”
Of Intel’s initial 3,000 hires, 70 percent will be technicians, Melinda Murdock, Intel university relations manager, told attendees. To meet this need, eight lead institutions across Ohio, including Columbus State, rapidly developed a one-year certificate program centered on semiconductor manufacturing.
“This had to be done quickly, and the beauty of community colleges is that they can move quickly,” Murdock said.
As efforts to reshore semiconductor manufacturing accelerate, colleges and economic development officials in states including New York, Texas, and Arizona are partnering in similar ways. To inform these efforts, Harrison stressed the importance of collaboration across institutions and states, as well as stressing the need for trustee support. “Trustees need to have a high level of comfort with ambiguity,” he said. “[Economic development officials] think in decades. My college is focused on the next semester’s schedule. So the ability to align those two is really important.”
Kenny McDonald, president and CEO of the Columbus Partnership, called the relationships between community colleges and economic development “a natural partnership.”
“But you’re going to have to take it further,” he said, urging community college leaders to ensure their institutions are fully aligned with economic development initiatives. “We’re at the beginning of a complete transformation of the economy… [Alignment] will be the biggest thing you do for your community.”
Also Thursday, Congress attendees attended a briefing on federal policy priorities and sessions on a wide range of ongoing community college objectives, including the implementation of free community college in Massachusetts and the rapid growth of community college baccalaureate programs, with more than 700 degree-granting programs now available at more than 190 institutions in 24 states. “There are still large pockets that don’t have that opportunity,” Angela Kersenbrock, president of the Community College Baccalaureate Association, told attendees. “We have a lot of work to do.”
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