A Statement By the President of CECU In Response to Recent Events

No sector of American higher education has been more committed to the concept of equal education opportunity than the career education sector. We have historically served far larger percentages of minority students than other sectors. We meet our students in their communities and equip them to build career skills leading to real jobs, real incomes, and a real chance at America’s middle class.

Let us agree that there are real education gaps in America today. There are real opportunity gaps in America today. There is a real digital divide in America today. There are real income gaps in America today. The tragic events of recent weeks and before – not just in Minneapolis, but in far too many locations across the nation – speak to our urgent need to do more, to be better, and to work harder to provide the opportunities of an American dream to all our citizens.

Our schools prepare students of all backgrounds for professional careers in many fields. This includes schools teaching students how to become professionals in law enforcement in ways that would prevent some of these recent incidents.   

Today, some of our professionals are on the front lines fighting the coronavirus pandemic serving a nation crippled by the virus. We recognize that minority communities have carried a disproportionate burden of lost jobs and mortality rates during this national crisis. We also recognize that as the economy changes, we must provide our citizens with new skills.

Let us seek to build a better future for all Americans. Let us begin with a universal commitment to equip our nation with the education, skills, and  credentials essential for personal success. Opportunity without skills is false rhetoric. Opportunity with skills can create a new generation of real progress for all. In this way, we can erase the institutional racism that still exists within our society. In this way, we can create a people united, and a nation moving forward.

Steve Gunderson
​President & CEO