ABOUT AMERICA’S FOCUS
For generations, family-owned career colleges, universities and schools have embodied the entrepreneurial spirit that helped build the American dream. One such example, Bryant and Stratton College, a career college located in New York, Ohio, Virginia and Wisconsin was founded 150 years ago with a mission of providing individuals with skills they can immediately transfer into the workplace. During the Civil War, the college began with the entrepreneurial and patriotic idea of training women with the skills they would need to fill the jobs left vacant by the soldiers who went to fight in the war and serve their country.
This career college saw the crucial need of employers in the community and stepped in to assist, mirroring the mission of similarly innovative family-founded institutions around the country. For centuries, entrepreneurial families have recognized a need in their communities for career education, and not bound by government funding or bureaucracy, they have responded rapidly to the needs of both students and the current economy.
Today, nationwide, family-owned colleges, universities and schools have matured drastically. Some have morphed into graduate level institutions offering doctoral and master’s degrees, obtaining the highest accreditations available, while others may be securing national and state rankings in production of associate or diploma level graduates. The magnificence of America’s FOCUS is in its diversity and in its commonalities. A member school may offer the Master of Science in Nursing while another may be leading their state in production of critically needed Licensed Practical Nurses. Although there is a diverse range of educational offerings, each has a common practice of tailoring their campus to the needs of their communities, their employers and most importantly, the academic experience and successful outcomes of their students. Whether it is health care, information technology, business, legal services, criminal justice, biotechnology, culinary arts or education, you will find that your local family-owned college, university or school is committed to providing the student services and support that lead to high graduation rates and providing the programs that lead to placement in relevant careers. These commitments are not taken lightly; having placed their name on the building, by sitting on the board or by serving in a management role at the campus, they prove it every day.
The backbone of this country is the entrepreneurial spirit of so many individuals and families who wanted to make a difference and improve the lives of others. Our country is facing a tremendous challenge to develop a highly trained workforce that can compete successfully in the global marketplace. America’s FOCUS members have taken their role in this effort seriously for centuries, being of service in their communities and stimulating their local economies through taxes and employment opportunities, all the while, educating students, one-at-a-time, toward their American dreams.
