Kimberly Alfaro Jimenez, a Manor College student majoring in a Public Policy, participated virtually in the annual “#AICUP Day on the Hill” rally at the Capitol in Harrisburg on Wednesday, April 9 to advocate for higher education funding.
She was joined by other students, some of whom travelled more than 500 miles, and virtually met with State Representative Ben Sanchez and Congresswoman Madeleine Dean of Glenside to discuss the impact that the Jenkintown-based college has had in her life.
Jimenez plans to work in the nonprofit sector or continue her education in law school to impact on immigration law.
“I want to work with marginalized communities where accessibility to services is a concern. Whether it’s because there are few resources or lack of education,” Jimenez said. “I hope to make change and have a positive influence in the community.”
“I like that Manor College is smaller and has a more personalized approach to education. It was important for me to have an individualized plan to get the most out of my education, and Manor College has helped me achieve that,” she said.
Jimenez has received financial support from Manor College and a first generation grant provided to the college via Congresswoman Dean.
“I’m very appreciative of the Congresswoman, and her work inspires me to think of what kind of influence I can have on people’s lives,” she said.
According to the Association of Independent Colleges & Universities of PA (AICUP), the majority of Pennsylvania’s college students are educated by the independent nonprofit sector (AICUP), which represents 275,000 students or 53% of all four-year degree-seeking students.
In Pennsylvania, the independent nonprofit sector represents:
- 46% of all lower-income Pell-eligible students seeking bachelor’s degrees
- 47% of all PHEAA PA State Grant recipients seeking bachelor’s degrees
- 52% of all underrepresented minorities seeking bachelor’s/advanced degrees
- The best on-time graduation rates of any sector of higher ed in PA
- Lowest cost to taxpayers
- Best R.O.I. to students, the state, and taxpayers (Re: Wall Street Journal, AEI, Georgetown)
- Competitive tuition and fees that have actually fallen on average in the last decade, lowest debt default rates, and best post-grad employment rates and salaries.
AICUP member institutions graduate 44,000 new workers into the state economy every year, the highest for any sector. In Pennsylvania, AICUP members represent 58% of all bachelor’s/advanced degrees awarded in STEM fields (science, technology, engineering, math), 69% of all students pursuing a nursing degree, and 45% of all teacher certification candidates.
According to officials, Manor College offers more than 100 new members into the local workforce every year in high demand fields, such as nursing, veterinary technology, dental hygiene, law enforcement, and other areas.
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