(l to r) McCallin, Jordan and Bowman sign the MOU establishing the 2+2 plan at Community College of Aurora. Photo by Johanna Snow

Metro State’s 2+2 plan with the Colorado Community College System (CCCS) has grown to include the Community College of Aurora (CCA).

At the official signing ceremony on the CCA CentreTech campus on Friday, Aug. 1, Metro State President Stephen Jordan, CCCS President Nancy McCallin and CCA President Linda Bowman launched the 2+2 plan with CCA, making it the second community college to partner with Metro State to offer bachelor’s degree programs in certain disciplines on community college campuses.

Metro State biology and psychology classes will be offered this fall semester at CCA, while marketing, management, and criminal justice and criminology courses are on the fall semester schedule at Front Range Community College (to read more go to http://www.mscd.edu/~collcom/artman/publish/cca_twv6073008.shtml).

“One compelling aspect of this partnership,” Jordan said, “is that it gives our institutions a chance to expand upon the important work we’re already doing: educating¯and graduating¯students of color, and students who are the first in their families to go to college, in Colorado.”

CCA ‘s student population is 44 percent students of color and many are first-generation college students.

“Many of these students are working and raising families while trying to earn their degree…,” Jordan said. “Our goal with the 2 + 2 program is to eliminate some of the barriers these students face.” He added that the rising cost of gasoline alone is a barrier to making the almost 40-mile round trip from CCA to Metro State.

The signing ceremony drew several leaders in the Aurora community, including state Rep. Nancy Todd, a retired teacher and member of the Education Committee, who said, “This partnership is absolutely fabulous. It’s great that these leaders have thought outside of the box and are doing things in creative ways that will benefit the citizens.”