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Gov. Neil Abercrombie and University of <span aria-label=
Hawaiʻi officials at the UH Community Colleges Day proclamation presentation ceremony on April 23.” width=”400″ height=”235″ class=”size-full wp-image-24221″ /> Gov. Neil Abercrombie and University of Hawaiʻi officials at the UH Community Colleges Day proclamation presentation ceremony on April 23.

In a ceremony at the Hawaiʻi State Capitol, Gov. Neil Abercrombie proclaimed April 23 as The University of Hawaiʻi Community Colleges Day in recognition of the UH Community Colleges System’s 50th Anniversary.

On April 23, 1964, Governor John A. Burns signed into law a major legislative act that would forever change the educational landscape of the entire state of Hawaiʻi. It provided the opportunity for all citizens to have access to a college education. The Hawaiʻi Community College Act directed the University of Hawaiʻi Board of Regents to develop and administer a system of community colleges.

Today, the community colleges’ open-door policy and affordable tuition attract all types of students to seek higher education, from the traditional high school graduate to the nontraditional working adult. More than 60 percent of community college students go to school part-time while working part- or full-time jobs.

“I’m proud of our students. They work hard to overcome many obstacles in their lives just to be in the classroom,” says John Morton, vice president for community colleges. “We have a responsibility to our students to keep the doors of opportunity open, to provide the best and most responsive services and programs, to help them successfully complete their degrees and go forward to fulfill their ambitions.”

Read the UH Community College news release for more.

More on the anniversary

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