[Congressional Record Volume 165, Number 97 (Tuesday, June 11, 2019)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E740]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                  CITRUS COLLEGE, GLENDORA, CALIFORNIA

                                 ______
                                 

                        HON. GRACE F. NAPOLITANO

                             of california

                    in the house of representatives

                         Tuesday, June 11, 2019

  Mrs. NAPOLITANO. Madam Speaker, I congratulate Citrus College, the 
first California community college to receive top honors for student 
success by a national organization. At an awards gala on April 15, 
2019, American Association of Community Colleges (AACC) President, Dr. 
Walter Bumpus, and AACC Board Chair, Dr. Sandra Kurtinitis, presented 
Dr. Geraldine M. Perri, Superintendent/President of Citrus College, 
with the 2019 AACC Award of Excellence in the Student Success category. 
This well-deserved national recognition affirms the outstanding campus-
wide effort to boost completion and transfer rates. Citrus College is 
the only community college in California to have been honored by the 
AACC in 2019.
   Every year, the AACC recognizes the exceptional work accomplished by 
the nation's community colleges by presenting Awards of Excellence in 
six categories: Student Success, Advancing Diversity, CEO/Board 
Relationship, Community College Safety and Planning, Faculty 
Innovation, and Outstanding College/Corporate Partnership. The AACC 
Award of Excellence in the Student Success category recognizes a 
community college that has demonstrated a sustained commitment to 
student achievement. The criteria used to determine this year's 
finalists included the development of a comprehensive strategic 
completion plan, the achievement of measurable and significant 
increases in degree completion, certificate completion, and transfer 
from two-year to four-year institutions.
   Citrus College was highlighted for establishing and promoting an 
associate degree for transfer (ADT) pathway to four-year colleges and 
universities, and for introducing the Citrus College Promise, a program 
designed to cover enrollment fees and other college costs for first-
time students for up to two years. As a result of the college's 
efforts, transfers have risen by 38 percent from 2014 to 2017.
   We send our sincere congratulations to Dr. Perri and all students, 
faculty, staff, and Members of the Board of Trustees at Citrus College, 
and we wish them continued success.

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