Nov. 2, 2015 Staff Report
The Second Lady of the United States will visit Long Island City this week as part of an effort to promote community colleges.
Jill Biden, a longtime educator and wife of Vice President Joe Biden, will attend LaGuardia Community College’s “Heads Up America Open House” on Wednesday. Her visit is one step in a broader effort to underscore the importance of community colleges throughout the United States.
Promoting community college is one of Biden’s primary goals as Second Lady.
Biden will be joined by Jean Chatzky, financial editor of the Today Show, and LaGuardia Community College President Gail Mellow, in a discussion on President Barack Obama’s proposal to make two years of community college free.
Called “America’s College Promise,” the proposal would eliminate community college tuition for students who attend at least half-time and maintain a 2.5 GPA. “Heads Up America” is a campaign from the College Promise Advisory Board in support of this goal.
The specific goals of LaGuardia’s Heads Up open house are to highlight the school’s role in its community and opportunities for students – such as job connections, small business support and school clubs – according to the event advisory.
The college estimates that about 200 local high school students and current LaGuardia students will attend.