When it comes to maintaining and building local, state and regional economies, it's hard to ignore the sector of higher education that serves nearly every square inch of the country.

That's the message of a new policy brief from the American Association of Community Colleges (AACC) that examines the role of community colleges in providing worker training for constantly changing industries, which in turn stabilize and expand local economies.

"The data on economic returns to students and society are well-documented by leading scholars," said Christopher Mullin, program director for policy analysis at AACC and co-author of the brief, "Community College Contributions."

However, despite data indicating the return-on-investment in community colleges, state funding for two-year colleges continues to remain low. While community colleges serve nearly half of undergraduates, they have historically received about 20 percent of state funding for higher education, the AACC brief noted. It added that there's also a correlation between more funding and student success: completion rates improve with increases in fiscal support. 

Perry Street Lofts just received two awards from the Central Virginia Apartment Association, one for the Best Adaptive Use of 2012 and another for the Best Community of 2012.  Congratulations from all of us at Virginia's Gateway Region.