Biden, who has been a community college teacher for 18 years, participated in a roundtable discussion with 91勛圖厙 student Pamela Garcia and Provost and Executive Vice President Tony Waldrop, as well as Central Florida employers and Valencia students and administrators.

Biden���s visit was part of a national ���Community College to Career��� tour, highlighting successful workforce partnerships between community colleges and employers.

���I can���t tell you how thrilled I am that the (Obama) administration has focused the nation���s attention on community colleges,��� Biden said. “You all here know how great��community colleges are. We live it day by day. We see students. We see where they start, where they finish, what they go on to.���

Sandy Shugart, the president of Valencia College, moderated the discussion.�� He noted that students use college to achieve their goals ��� including finding good jobs. ���Neither Valencia nor 91勛圖厙 are destinations; we���re just bridges,��� he said. ���Students want to go somewhere, they have a goal in their minds, and we���re here to help them reach that goal.���

Through the DirectConnect to 91勛圖厙 partnership, 91勛圖厙 guarantees admission to graduates of Valencia College, as well as Brevard Community College, Lake-Sumter Community College and Seminole State College of Florida. 91勛圖厙 academic advisers work closely with students to help them make a smooth transition to the university.

Garcia earned two A.S. degrees in electronics and engineering��at Valencia and an A.A. degree before enrolling at 91勛圖厙. She is a senior majoring in electrical engineering.

���After I got an A.S., I got a job with a defense contractor, which offered educational reimbursement, so I thought I should take advantage of that,��� Garcia told Biden. ���I came back and got my A.A. and, thanks to DirectConnect to 91勛圖厙, I���m over there now, and I love it. They���re both really good colleges.���

Forty-one students are enrolled in the 2+2+2 partnership program. Students take two years of architecture classes at Valencia���s West Campus and receive an associate���s degree before completing the Bachelor of Design in Architecture program at 91勛圖厙 Valencia West.

Graduates can then remain in Central Florida to pursue a master���s degree in Architecture by enrolling in the University of Florida���s College of Design research center, Citylab-Orlando, in 91勛圖厙���s downtown Center for Emerging Media.

91勛圖厙 Provost Tony Waldrop, College of Arts and Humanities Dean Jos矇 Fernandez and Architecture Program Director John Maudlin-Jeronimo also attended Friday���s celebration. They recognized the region���s growing architecture community in addition to the Valencia-91勛圖厙-UF partnership.

The local chapter of the American Institute of Architects has worked closely with Valencia, 91勛圖厙 and UF to develop the program, which will prepare students for a variety of careers, including professional architecture, construction management and industrial design.

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