Download the Press Release 
Attendees Learn Value of Los Angeles Community Colleges as Stepping Stones to Historically Black Colleges and Universities
LOS ANGELES, Calif., Jan. 19, 2007 – Attending a community college gives students an opportunity to mature socially and academically, which paves the way for a successful transfer to a four-year college or university, according to Patrick Jefferson, Dean of Special Programs at Los Angeles Southwest College (LASC).
Jefferson led a panel discussion, “Los Angeles Community Colleges: Stepping Stones to Historically Black Colleges and Universities,” at the Black College Expo held on Jan. 13 at the Los Angeles Convention Center.
“When you go to an historically Black college or university, there are certain expectations people will have of you,” he said. “They expect you to be successful and you always have to be on your ‘A’ game. They expect you to know how to balance studying, working and having a social life.”
Jefferson also dispelled the misconceptions of community college education as a last resort with easier courses. He explained, “The reality is that community colleges like Los Angeles Southwest College offer a quality education -- we’re just as rigorous as a four-year institution -- and we offer a pathway to move on to other opportunities.”
The panel addressed such issues as making college affordable, how parents can supervise their children who attend an out-of-state institution, and the responsibility to the community after graduation. Jefferson added, “Wherever you go after you graduate, you have to pave the path for others to be successful.”
Jefferson graduated from Xavier University of Louisiana with a bachelor’s degree in biology. Prior to joining Los Angeles Southwest College, he was an educational program coordinator at El Camino College and Pasadena City College. The move to LASC was a natural transition. “I live in this community and I wanted to help my community,” he said.
Also on the panel were Marlisa Johnson, President/CEO of Mathtopian Preparation (Spellman College alumnus); Malik Manani, Youth Development Specialist for Youth Opportunity Movement (Tennessee State University alumnus); Lawton Gray, Assistant Principal of Temple City High School (Morehouse College alumnus); Shalamon Duke, Dean of Student Services-Equity at Los Angeles City College (Grambling State University alumnus); and Erika Miller, Coordinator/Counselor of the Center for Retention and Transfer at Los Angeles Southwest College (Howard University alumnus).
LASC is one of nine colleges in the Los Angeles Community College District (LACCD), a sponsor of the Black College Expo. The LACCD’s African-American Outreach Initiative recently produced a brochure, Your Stepping Stone to Historically Black Colleges and Universities, now available at LASC and other LACCD colleges.
Tuition for all California residents has been reduced to $20 per unit. LASC will hold a special Family Registration Night on Wednesday, Jan. 31, from 6 p.m. to 10 p.m., as well as Saturday registrations through Feb. 10, from 8 a.m. to 1 p.m. The spring semester begins on Feb. 5.
# # #
