WASHINGTON, DC- U.S. Senator Bob Casey (D-PA) wrote a letter to Dr. Walter Asonevich, President of Pennsylvania Highlands Community College, praising the College for its decision to offer free tuition for one full semester to Cambria County residents who have lost jobs during 2008. This decision will enable many individuals whose lives have been devastated by job loss to further develop their skills and education so they can advance in their careers.
“Your decision to offer a free semester shows a commitment to help your community by providing people with an opportunity to enhance their ability to obtain new employment in the midst of a terrible economy,” Senator Casey wrote. “Your action will serve as a model to other schools and I am pleased to see that others are already emulating your idea.”
The program offered by Pennsylvania Highlands Community College allows the college to offer 12 credits free to any dislocated worker who has lost his or her job due to economic conditions in 2008. To qualify, a displaced worker must be a Cambria County resident with written verification of a layoff from the last employer.
Full text of the letter is below:
Dear Dr. Asonevich,
I was pleased to learn of your decision to offer a free semester to any Cambria County resident who has lost his or her job due to the recession. This decision will enable many individuals whose lives have been devastated by job loss to further develop their skills and education so they can advance in their careers.
Just last week we learned that the nation’s unemployment rate is the highest it has been since 1993. The 2.6 million jobs lost in 2008 marks the highest level since 1945. I know that Cambria county and other parts of Southwestern, Pennsylvania have been adversely affected by this dramatic job loss.
Pennsylvania Highlands Community College has chosen to respond to this challenge with vision and compassion. Your decision to offer a free semester shows a commitment to help your community by providing people with an opportunity to enhance their ability to obtain new employment in the midst of a terrible economy. Your action will serve as a model to other schools and I am pleased to see that others are already emulating your idea.
Thank you for making this important decision. Please do not hesitate to contact my office if I can be of any assistance to you in your efforts to help Cambria county residents.
Sincerely,
Robert P. Casey, Jr.
United States Senator
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