HOUSTON (Feb. 14, 07) – The North Harris Montgomery Community College District is among a consortium of community colleges that have been awarded a major cooperative agreement by the U.S. Department of State.
 
Community Colleges for International Development, Inc. announced that they are the recipient of $3 million from the Department of State to administer the Community College Summit Initiative Program in cooperation with the State Department. The program is an outcome of the Summit on International Education hosted for U.S. college and university presidents in January of 2006 by Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice and Secretary of Education Margaret Spellings.
 
“This program will bring great recognition to the role community colleges have in building a global community. Its significance is emphasized by the fact that this is the first ever grant awarded by the State Department to a community college initiative,” said Nithy Sevanthinathan, director of international programs and services at NHMCCD.

The funds will provide training pathways for students of many nations to attend U.S. community colleges and take their expertise back to their homelands. As a participant in the program, NHMCCD will be hosting 12 international students for 15 months. It is the only Texas community college participating.

In addition to NHMCCD, the member colleges taking part in this pilot program are, Daytona Community College, Florida; Highline Community College, Washington; Hillsborough Community College, Florida; Kirkwood Community College, Iowa; Northampton Community College, PA.; and Parkland College, Ill. Other collaborating organizations include AACC and ACCT.

Through the program CCID will manage participant training activities for students from Turkey, Egypt, Indonesia, Pakistan, South Africa and Brazil at the above colleges. Disciplines will include Information Technology, Health Programs, Business, Media, and Engineering Programs.  Students will return home with specific technical skills, and through living in the homes of US families, will learn about the finer details of life in the United States. A Leadership and Democracy component in their programs will provide participants with knowledge of civil society.

Hillsborough Community college President, Dr. Gwen Stephenson is the chair of the group’s board of directors. She commented, "This is a significant step in the road for CCID, and a terrific example of the colleges in the CCID consortium working collaboratively for a common goal. The student outcomes from this program will have positive reverberations throughout the world, and for CCID members."
 
Although a pilot program, it is hoped that the award will open opportunities for many CCID colleges nationwide.

Community Colleges for International Development is a consortium of over 160 community colleges in the U.S. and abroad, dedicated to utilizing international education to improve people's lives worldwide. For more information on CCID, call Executive Director John Halder at 319-398-5653.

NHMCCD comprises Cy-Fair College, Kingwood College, Montgomery College, North Harris College, Tomball College, six satellite centers and The University Center. To learn more, visit www.nhmccd.edu.

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