College offers a $pecial present

Want an idea for an unusual Christmas gift? Community College of Philadelphia has one.

It's selling gift certificates that can be used to help pay tuition and fees at the school.

The amount of the certificate is chosen by the purchaser.

College President Stephen M. Curtis said the certificates are being offered for the first time in the school's 42-year history.

"What better gift to give during the holidays than the gift of education, a gift that can change a life and last a lifetime?" he said.

Certificates can be purchased by calling 215-751-8104 or by stopping by the cashier's office, Room 2 on the ground floor at the Bonnell Building on 17th Street between Spring Garden and Callowhill streets.

Tuition for city residents is $112 per credit hour, students from elsewhere in the state are charged $224 per credit hour and out-of-staters pay $336, a college spokesman said. Most courses are for three credit hours.

"Parents looking to encourage their kids to make education their top priority and employers seeking to help their employees improve their career skills should consider this unique stocking-stuffer gift," the college said in a release.

"Community College of Philadelphia offers high-quality educational programs in a nurturing environment readily accessible to young and older adults."

The college's Corporate Solutions Division, on the main campus in the Center for Business and Industry, 17th and Callowhill streets, offers classes that help employees enhance and increase their skills.

The college, which enrolls more than 38,000 students, offers more than 70 career and transfer programs in business, humanities, allied health, science and technology and the social and behavioral sciences.