Case Provides Comment at Legislative Panel Breakfast

Winsted – Northwestern Connecticut Community College (NCCC) hosted a legislative panel breakfast Wednesday morning, featuring state legislators and local leaders including State Representative Jay Case (R-63).

“Participating in legislative panels, such as the one sponsored by NCCC this morning, allows me to illustrate the political landscape of what is being discussed in Hartford,” stated Rep. Case who serves part of Torrington, Winsted, Goshen, and Colebrook, “Our community colleges serve a niche population, many are working while achieving their educational goals, and preserving funding for these institutions is critical to maintaining a quality workforce in Connecticut.”

Panelists heard questions from board members of the college, students, and invited guests. The focal issue of the morning was budgeting related to the state’s finances.

“Our out year deficits are huge, topping $4.5 billion for the next biennium,” stressed Case, “The unique offerings of NCCC must be considered while we attempt to cut spending, however I fully support funding our educational services as that falls within a core function of government.”

NCCC features two unique programs that were features at this morning’s breakfast, a male nursing program and veterinary-tech program.

The male nursing program is one of the first of its kind in the state. According to NCCC students, men feel more comfortable pursuing a career in healthcare now that nursing has presented itself as a viable option.

The veterinary-tech program is the only one of its kind offered within the state. This unique offering is compounded by the notion that NCCC serves a niche student market.

Case attributed declining revenues, resulting from a shrinking workforce, for the state’s budgetary shortfalls. Case further suggested that the gap will continue to widen if community colleges are unable to provide resources that directly translate to employment.

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