Military Family Research Institute invited to White House Summit
WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. - Stacie Hitt, the director of Operation Diploma for the Military Family Research Institute at Purdue University, will attend the first White House Summit on Community Colleges on Oct 5.
Jill Biden, wife of Vice President Joe Biden, will chair the summit in Washington, D.C. According to the White House, President Obama asked Biden to convene this event to highlight the critical role that community colleges play in developing America's work force and reaching the nation's educational goals.
The summit will bring together community colleges, business, philanthropy, federal and state policy leaders, and students to discuss how community colleges can help meet the job training and education needs of the country's evolving work force.
"I welcome the invitation to share what we are doing to make a difference," Hitt said. "Studies have shown that engaging with veterans and students involved with military service early and consistently helps them successfully deal with the academic, financial, physical and emotional challenges associated with transition to postsecondary education. MFRI encourages Indiana higher education institutions to take steps to make this transition easier."
To date, Operation Diploma has awarded $1.4 million to support veteran-assistance programs at colleges and universities across the state, especially at many of the Ivy Tech Community College campuses. The effort is funded by $5.8 million from Lilly Endowment Inc.
Contact: Jeanne Norberg, Purdue News Service, 765-494-2084, jnorberg@purdue.edu