Education coalition celebrates silver anniversary

The Community Education Coalition of Columbus is celebrating its 25th anniversary.

The organization was formed in 1997 to advance educational opportunities for everyone in Columbus. Originally an experimental project of the Columbus Area Chamber of Commerce Foundation, the group brought together the business and education sectors along with community partners towards that goal. It has now grown to include efforts at the regional, state and national levels. It works to build a spectrum of educational pathways from early learning through higher education. Focused efforts are also aimed to help students of color, students of all agas and families experiencing economic challenges.

Among the initiatives that have grown from the Community Education Coalition efforts are the expansion of early learning, iGrad and Counseling Counts, TuFuturo and Black and Biracial youth initiatives, EcO regional pathways and supporting IU in creating the J. Irwin Miller Architecture Program. The coalition’s CivicLab also works to focus on civic collaboration across the country, exporting the “Columbus Way” of working together.

Kathy Oren, President and CEO of the coalition said the group is “immensely proud of the progress our education partners have made in service to students, employers and the community.”