skip to main content
skip to newscasts

Saturday, April 19, 2025

Public News Service Logo
facebook instagram linkedin reddit youtube twitter
view newscast page
play newscast audioPlay

An Alabama man who spent more than 40 years behind bars speaks out, Florida natural habitats are disappearing, and spring allergies hit hard in Connecticut.

view newscast page
play newscast audioPlay

After another campus shooting, President Trump says people, not guns, are the issue. Alaska Sen. Murkowski says Republicans fear Trump's retaliation, and voting rights groups sound the alarm over an executive order on elections.

view newscast page
play newscast audioPlay

Money meant for schools in timber country is uncertain as Congress fails to reauthorize a rural program, farmers and others will see federal dollars for energy projects unlocked, and DOGE cuts threaten plant species needed for U.S. food security.

AL's College Network Aims to Empower Students, Strengthen Workforce

play audio
Play

Thursday, June 15, 2023   

Legislation has just gone into effect this month in Alabama that should help people who started on the path to their college degree or credential but weren't able to finish.

Senate Bill 175 is seen as a way to increase the number of adults who go back to school. It will establish a ReEngage Alabama Grant Program for eligible adult learners.

The Historically Black and Predominantly Black Community College Network sees this as another step toward what these schools are already working on.

Chandra Scott, executive director of Alabama Possible, explained that they're challenging misconceptions about community college and encouraging former students to come back.

"We have to change our perspective and the narrative in which we talk about community colleges across our state," said Scott. "They are the biggest asset to fulfilling not only the business and workforce pipeline, but also to ending generational poverty across our state."

Alabama is pushing to add 500,000 people with post-secondary credentials to the state's workforce by 2025, as part of Gov. Kay Ivey's "Success Plus" plan.

According to Center for Regional Economic Competitiveness, the state has seen more than 200,000 upskilled workers since the plan launched in 2018.

Nia Haydel, Ph.D, vice president for Alliance, Engagement and Institutional Transformation with the nonprofit Complete College America, emphasized that adult learners in the community college setting may need more support to finish their degrees - as many juggle work, parenting and other responsibilities.

This means resources like career counselors, mental health support, and courses that contribute to higher graduation rates and more workforce credentials.

"They are very, very intentional in how they craft their services and their environment," said Haydel, "to make sure that the whole student is being supported and motivated to finish or complete their program."

According to Haydel, the Network launched in August 2021 to assess how educational experiences affect career outcomes for students of color. It is made up of 22 community college campuses across eight states.




Disclosure: Alabama Possible contributes to our fund for reporting on Civic Engagement, Education, Poverty Issues, Youth Issues. If you would like to help support news in the public interest, click here.


get more stories like this via email
more stories
Congressional researchers said more than 25 million American households report forgoing food and medicine to pay their energy bills. (Adobe Stock)

Social Issues

play sound

A bipartisan group of lawmakers in Congress is joining advocates for energy assistance across the country to warn a dangerous situation is brewing for…


Environment

play sound

Teams of researchers and volunteers will fan out at dawn Friday with their smartphones and binoculars on the Florida Gulf Coast University campus for …

Environment

play sound

Environmental groups across Michigan are pushing back after the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers confirmed it will fast-track Enbridge's Line 5 tunnel …


The elimination of judgeships in 11 Indiana counties followed a weighted caseload study, which found some counties have more judges than needed to manage their current dockets. (Adobe Stock)

Social Issues

play sound

Indiana lawmakers approved a bill Tuesday to eliminate judgeships in eleven mostly rural counties as part of a statewide judicial reallocation…

play sound

For Minnesota households planning future college enrollment, there is a good chance tuition will cost more, as public campuses facing tighter budgets …

When cows eat plant cover faster than it can regrow, it erodes and degrades the soil beneath, making it more susceptible to runoff and other undesirable consequences. (Saed/Adobe Stock)

Environment

play sound

By Seth Millstein for Sentient Climate.Broadcast version by Isobel Charle for Washington News Service reporting for the Sentient-Public News Service C…

Environment

play sound

Communities in southern and eastern Montana were connected to passenger rail lines running from Chicago to Seattle until 1979. An effort to fund the …

Environment

play sound

By Jessica Scott-Reid for Sentient Climate.Broadcast version by Danielle Smith for Keystone State News Connection reporting for the Sentient-Public Ne…

 

Phone: 303.448.9105 Toll Free: 888.891.9416 Fax: 208.247.1830 Your trusted member- and audience-supported news source since 1996 Copyright © 2021