2nd Request - Corrected Phone Number
CONTACT JOAN TODAY---jellison@national.edu or (816)412-7702
Date: Feb. 9, 2009
From:

Brian Stewart
Board President, Missouri Association of Private Career Colleges and Schools (MAPCCS)
President/CEO, Bryan College, Springfield, Mo.

To:

All MAPCCS Members
All Missouri Proprietary Schools
Subject: “2nd Annual Strawberry Shortcake Break” and Hill Day

Please take a few minutes to read this important message about our Hill Day event in Jefferson City later this month.  We’re planning an ongoing dialogue with legislators throughout the session … and Hill Day is the key to getting that effort off on the right foot.  We need your support to make it happen!  Read on …
WHO: MAPCCS (Missouri Association of Private Career Colleges and Schools) and YOU – Students, Administrators, Instructors, School officials, Alumni, School Counselors and MORE!!!!
WHAT:

“Hill Day” in the State Capitol
Please plan to join us!  This event is coordinated and hosted by MAPCCS.  We are inviting all Missouri proprietary schools to come to the State Capitol to help us build awareness for our schools and colleges – and how they “work for Missouri.”

We’ll Visit With Legislators – This is basically a “get to know you” visit.  If you haven’t participated in anything like this in the past, we hope you’ll join us in 2009.  There are a number of new legislators who aren’t familiar with MAPCCS and what we have to offer.  It will be a fun and exhilarating day.  It’s our goal to have between 100 and 150  representatives from proprietary schools in the Capitol.  We will provide everyone with “talking points” to make this as comfortable, enjoyable and fun as possible.

Again this year, we’ll serve a “Strawberry Shortcake Break”.  We are excited about our plans to host this “tasteful” event that will put us in the limelight most of the day.  We’ll be serving strawberry shortcake on the Third Floor in the Rotunda to legislators, their staff, and all guests in the Capitol.  We expect to serve about 500 people (possibly as many as 800).  Serving will be from noon to 3 p.m. – we need volunteers as early as 8 a.m. to help set up.    We need YOU!!!  It’ll be FUN!  Everyone in the Capitol loved this event last year!

Students should be invited to come to Jefferson City to the Capitol Building to help with this event.  They will enjoy themselves, and gain a sense of pride and a feeling that their participation matters.  You may want to invite students from business classes or government classes that you think will benefit from this activity.  Or, you may want to extend an open invitation to your enrollment. 

We’ll Have School Exhibits – Schools are encouraged to set up exhibits – let’s give everyone something to talk about.  We want to create a festive atmosphere with the Strawberry Shortcake serving station and the school exhibits.  We’ll have colorful posters, signs, banners and displays about our schools, types of careers and curriculum, location of campuses, etc.  Please sign up today to be involved in Hill Day.  To create excitement and enthusiasm, we need as many schools to participate as possible.  Bring your school exhibit, set up a table with a banner or a sign.  If you don’t have an exhibit, be creative and come up with something that will help us demonstrate to legislators and visitors what private career colleges and schools can offer Missourians. 

HOW: Everyone who comes to Hill Day will wear a blue T-shirt that reads “More Opportunities for More Missourians!”  In addition, the names of the schools will be included on the shirt as well as the MAPCCS logo.  MAPCCS will provide a Tshirt for new participants.  If you participated last year, please plan to bring your shirt from last year.  Our goal will be to stand out in the crowd! We want legislators in the Capitol to see us, to know who we are and to become more aware of proprietary schools.  We want them to appreciate the value and opportunities our schools offer Missourians.   We have sent letters and we are sending a series of postcards to let them know the value of  MAPCCS.  We can only be successful if YOU get involved!  
WHERE:

Jefferson City – State Capitol Building
Third Floor Rotunda
WHEN:

Tuesday, February 17, 2009
If you can only participate for part of the day, that’s fine – just let us know when it is convenient for you, and we’ll make sure you have a great experience. 

WHY:

We need to build awareness.  Community colleges and four-year universities communicate with legislators and benefit from state funded programs, scholarships, grants, etc.  We have an identity problem as to who we are and the type of education we provide.  If we ever hope to achieve “top of mind” awareness with legislators, we need to be proactive in explaining who we are and the benefits our schools provide many Missourians.

            This is an ongoing image building campaign – we need your help, your support, and your commitment.  Come to Hill Day … bring a crowd …  help us pave the way for a brighter future for proprietary schools in Missouri.

Let us know how many students and/or administrators will be coming and if you are bringing a display.  Do it today!  Don’t leave it for “somebody else” – we need YOU!!!  We’ll see you there!!!