(October 28, 2011 - Littleton, Colorado) President Barack Obama and Dr. Jill Biden, along with the Colorado Community College System, have launched an initiative for increasing the graduation rates, transfer rates and retention rates of community colleges across the nation.

Phi Theta Kappa, the International Honor Society for two-year colleges, and its ACC Chapter – Sigma Phi – are partnering with Arapahoe Community College’s administration, faculty, staff, the ACC Foundation and other student clubs in the Operation ACC Completion – “Follow the Purple Brick Road” initiative.

Phi Theta Kappa is encouraging students and advocates of this initiative to sign a call to action in support of associate degree / certificate completion.

ACC’s students are also encouraged to sign a purple brick as a symbol of their commitment to completing their associate degree, or certificate program, and plan to move on to a four-year university or join the work force.  ACC students’ families and friends, as well as the College’s faculty and staff, are also encouraged to sign a purple brick in support of these students. 

The purple bricks are being used to construct a traveling wall, which will be created as a means to signify to ACC students that they have enduring support in their academic environment to complete their degree or certificate program.  The traveling wall will subsequently serve as an on-stage backdrop at ACC’s May 2012 commencement ceremony.  The traveling wall will be an ongoing initiative to sustain campus-wide support for the Operation ACC Completion initiative.

The ACC Foundation is also sponsoring a prize drawing for $500 in conjunction with the Operation ACC Completion – “Follow the Purple Brick Road” initiative.  Students who enter the drawing will be eligible to win upon completion of their degree or certificate program.

Sigma Phi will facilitate multiple events on Nov. 16-17 at the Littleton Campus (room M1900) as part of the Operation ACC Completion festivities.  Wednesday’s events will run from 2:00 p.m. – 6:00 p.m., and Thursday’s festivities will begin at 12:00 p.m. and run until 4:00 p.m.  Festivities will include guest speakers, music and refreshments.

For more information about Operation ACC Completion, please contact Dorothy Mighell, Sigma Phi Vice President for College Projects, at dmighell@student.cccs.edu or 303.588.7158, or stop by the Phi Theta Kappa office in Room M2825.