Mayor Buddy Dyer proclaimed January 9, as Valencia College Day in the City of Orlando.
At the City Council meeting on Monday, and with Valencia president Sandy Shugart, along with several board, faculty and staff members present, Dyer praised the college for its significantly higher graduation rates than peer colleges and its strong links with the community.
“Whereas, Fifty-one percent of Valencia College’s full-time students graduate or transfer within three years of entering the school, a rate significantly higher than the 39% national average,” Dyer said in reading the proclamation.
“Whereas, Valencia Colleges maintains strong relationships with out community’s employers and plays a vital role in linking students to well paying jobs, serving as a bridge to higher accomplishments for residents in Central Florida,” the proclamation also stated.
In December, Valencia College was named the inaugural winner of the Aspen Prize for Community College Excellence, among some 120 community colleges nationwide. The award, which comes with a $600,000 prize, recognized Valencia’s significantly higher graduation rates than the national average, its high job placement rates at 95 percent and most productive transfer program in the country.
Read the entire Valencia College Day Proclamation Here.
