Officials: Pandemic won t delay CT community college merger
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Views of the Housatonic Community College campus, in Bridgeport, Conn. April 4, 2018.Ned Gerard / Hearst Connecticut Media file photoShow MoreShow Less
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The COVID-19 pandemic won’t delay the Connecticut state college system’s plans to merge its 12 community colleges by the 2023-24 school year, officials say.
In a report to its regional higher education accreditation agency, Connecticut State Colleges and Universities outlined its recent progress toward a consolidated Connecticut State Community College, or CT State.
The updates to the plan, called Students First, were accepted in a letter from New England Commission of Higher Education this week. The accreditors also tasked CSCU with next steps to remain on track for the merger.
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Published July 20. 2021 10:20PM
Associated Press
HARTFORD The president of the Connecticut State Colleges and Universities system announced Tuesday that the state s community colleges will forgive $17 million of student debt accumulated during the pandemic.
The debt, which students took on during the pandemic or could not repay because of it, will be made up with money from the federal Higher Education Emergency Relief Fund, CSCU President Terrence Cheng said.
There are no conditions attached, and students are not required to enroll in classes in any future semesters, Cheng said.
“Community college students have been hit especially hard by COVID-19,” Cheng said in a statement. “By eliminating the debt those students owe to institutions, we are removing a hurdle that prevents far too many people from continuing their educational journeys.