Health & Fitness
On Campus: Harper College, Motorola Solutions Partnership Nets National Award
Harper College's 25-year partnership with Motorola Solutions is the winner of a first-time national award recognizing outstanding college-corporate collaboration.
Harper College's 25-year partnership with Motorola Solutions is the winner of a first-time national award recognizing outstanding college-corporate collaboration.
The Award of Excellence for Corporate/College Partnership, established last year by the American Association of Community Colleges (AACC), was formally awarded to Harper during the association’s annual convention in California.
Harper’s partnership with Schaumburg-based Motorola Solutions includes scholarships for traditional and adult students; monetary awards for distinguished faculty; grant funding for and employee engagement in a Harper summer bridge program for at-risk students; and customized training for Motorola Solutions professionals.
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“It is vital that community college leaders build relationships with their local CEOs,” said Harper College President Dr. Kenneth Ender. “We’re very proud of our long-term relationship with Motorola Solutions. Their support has provided students and the College with opportunities that we otherwise might not have been able to support. But just as important, their active involvement helps us stay connected to their workforce needs in a fast-changing, global environment.”
The award was developed to share best practices and encourage more partnerships between corporations and community college leaders. AACC leaders say working together is critical as public funding for higher education decreases and corporations look to community colleges to train workers for 21st century jobs.
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“American industry has changed dramatically in the last 20 to 30 years, and so have the required skills sets of employees,” said Motorola Solutions Chairman and CEO Greg Brown. “Businesses need a pipeline of talented individuals to fill those roles. Partnerships between American businesses and community colleges are key to identifying these needs and together providing unique solutions that help businesses thrive and keep community colleges relevant.”
Harper was named one of five finalists for the award in February, based in part on the partnership’s advancement of economic prosperity, student success and community college advocacy. The AACC represents more than 1,100 community, junior and technical colleges and more than 13 million students.
