| abstract | - Quality education In response to the April 2 story "Home and Away: College-Bound Kids Don't Stray Far From Home": I was fascinated to see that, while Community College of Allegheny County is the top choice for local high school graduates of the class of 2005, the choice is attributed in the body of the article to a single factor: cost. It's true a student can save a significant amount of money at CCAC, but the school offers an educational experience that is more than equal to the first two years at a four-year school. Students can commute to school, easing the transition into college, a concern for some of them. Classes for many introductory courses are smaller at CCAC, providing individual attention that is not available in a lecture hall shared by hundreds of other students. Experienced faculty teach these smaller classes, not graduate assistants, who may be very good, but who teach with very little experience to guide them. CCAC faculty are committed solely to teaching students; they do not divide their time between their students and their own research. CCAC is the top choice for the county's graduates because it offers a wide range of quality classes at reasonable prices, and it offers results. Last year, a survey showed that 97 percent of our graduates fully or partially accomplished their objectives at CCAC, with about 25 percent transferring to four-year institutions to pursue additional degrees. Our graduates know that it's more than the low cost that makes CCAC a great value. STEPHEN H. WELLS Assistant Professor of English CCAC South Campus West Mifflin
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