Budget cuts continue to stress Arizona’s education system, leaving higher learning on a financial shelf too high for many students to reach. As the cost of college tuition continues to rise, two colleges in the East Valley are providing a stepstool to ease the burden for today’s scholars.

Mesa Community College (MCC), the largest of the 10 community colleges in the nation’s largest community college system, has partnered with The College of St. Scholastica, a 103-year-old Catholic Benedictine independent private college. The schools aim to bridge the gap between a two-year and a four-year degree for community college students wanting to further their education.

Laughner_ Arizona wins when public, private partner - East Valley Tribune_ Columns.pdf