These words, etched into a plaque on the Statue of Liberty in New York Harbor, are at the core of America.

The values suggested -- of reaching out to newcomers, of encouraging them to learn and thereby to thrive in an unfamiliar environment -- are reflected throughout U.S. society, including, most notably, in the framework of the nation's community college system.

The community college is uniquely American: it is open to all; it offers easy access; it provides a caring and supportive environment; and it enables students -- regardless of their ability -- to further their education, hone their job skills or change careers. Its appeal and importance to new Americans is very special, but it is equally attractive to U.S. natives of college age and even older. For all potential students, it offers hopes for a better future, and -- ultimately -- literally can change people's lives.

One example:

Jim (the name has been changed) was a chef and omelet-maker in a local restaurant. When he was in his late 20s, cancer struck and he was forced to quit his job. He had no health insurance, and therefore no choice but to go on welfare, embarrassed though he was about it. As his health began to improve, he knew he had to find a new direction to his life. With U.S. Government financial aid to assist him, Jim enrolled at a local community college, where he thrived. When a particular student fellowship program offered him the opportunity to travel to China, he seized the chance. That endeavor introduced him to a new world. He transferred to a four-year university, and eventually taught in Japan for a number of years. Now he has returned to the United States to continue his career in the classroom.

There are legions of students like Jim who enroll in America's 1,100 community colleges that serve 10 million students in credit and non-credit courses each year. They comprise a world of opportunity, as statistics bear out. More than half of all community college students are the first ones in their families to attend college; 30 percent of community college enrollment is composed of minorities. What is more, according to a recent study, 61 percent of community college students are over 21 years of age. Many of these students would never have pursued higher education if it had not been for the community college.

And -- to return to the "lamp beside the golden door," a number are recent immigrants.

Take Tooch Van.

He was three when his parents and nine siblings were executed by the Cambodian Khmer Rouge. He spent years in a Cambodian refugee camp. The name Tooch means small, and it was his nickname while he was living in the camp. He has no recollection of his real name. Upon finally being liberated from the camp, Tooch walked barefoot with other refugees for three months until he reached Phnom Penh. A refugee family adopted him and helped him start school. He eventually graduated from high school and began driving a taxi to finance his study of English at a private language academy.

After working as a program officer for a time for Pact/Cambodia, a U.S. non-governmental organization, he later served as a program assistant for the U.S. Agency for International Development at the U.S. Embassy in Phnom Penh, thanks to his language skills. Through his diplomatic contacts, he was encouraged to apply for a U.S. student visa to attend Middlesex Community College in Lowell, Massachusetts. He met the difficult visa requirements (English language proficiency, proof of acceptance by a U.S. college, and evidence he could meet tuition and living costs), received his visa and a scholarship, and enrolled at the school in Lowell (a region encompassing the second largest Southeast Asian population mass in the United States).

Tooch thrived at Middlesex. He took an active part in student government and was inducted into an academic honor society. He followed up his two-year stint by continuing his education at a four-year school, Trinity College in Connecticut. Honor has followed upon honor ever since. Awarded a prestigious Woodrow Wilson Fellowship to study public policy and international affairs at Princeton University, he gained admission recently to the Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy at Tufts University. For three summers, he has returned to Cambodia to work for Pact/Cambodia and was planning to spend the summer of 2002 there -- this time escorting Middlesex Community College faculty scholars to his native land, bringing his experiences, and his life story, full circle.

Jim, Tooch and countless others like them offer the nation, and the world community, hope for the future. The seeds of that hope lie, frequently, in the challenges and commitment of America's community colleges. These institutions offer open access, courses to develop skills, the chance to extend one's education to the full four-year university program and beyond, workforce development through partnerships with business and industry, collaboration with elementary and secondary school education, and -- not the least of the benefits -- lifelong learning opportunities.

In that way, figuratively and literally, they are lamps for the present and future.

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Evelyn Clements is Vice-President for Student Development at Middlesex Community College, Massachusetts

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