By his own reckoning, Kevan Malone was not a serious student growing up. He rarely read. Studying was barely an afterthought. He enlisted in the Marine Corps right after high school. Today, Malone is a doctoral candidate at UC San Diego – the type of person with the type of background the San Diego Community […]
Leaders and Training Articles
One year later
It was one year ago, that Covid-19 turned our world upside down. One area hit hard by the pandemic was education. School officials throughout the country started using the word “pivot” to describe how often they had to swiftly change their plans due to Covid-19. We asked Madison College President Jack Daniels how the pandemic has impacted education. […]
Prioritizing self-care
The third class of Clark State College’s SOAR participants began their mentorship under the guidance of Clark State President Jo Alice Blondin in mid 2019. Almost two years later, their work continues. SOAR – Serving Our Own through Leadership and Retention – was developed at the Ohio college to facilitate mentoring of faculty and staff […]
Launching a DEI certification experience
In the fall of 2019, Lone Star College-Tomball (Texas) launched a Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) Certification program through a partnership with the Office of Diversity and Inclusion as well as the Center for Organizational and Teaching Excellence (COTE). The original idea evolved into a full-fledged six-session program experience currently in its second cohort with […]
Flexible learning during rapid change
The American Association of Community Colleges’ annual convention typically draws in more than 2,000 people for in-person learning and networking. Due to the global pandemic, 2021’s convention will look a little different. AACC will offer two options for members: AACC Live will be offered in-person April 11–14 in Nashville, Tennessee, for individuals comfortable with traveling […]
Using the summer to sharpen online delivery
In mid-June, well before most colleges and universities, Northern Essex Community College (NECC) in Massachusetts announced that the fall semester would be offered 90 percent online. By making a decision early, the college had time to focus on making the online experience equal to what students could experience in a face-to-face classroom, said Bill Heineman, […]
Learning to lead on social justice
To better approach the difficult work of diversity, equity and inclusion and effect systemic change, a group of Harper College (Illinois) employees are committing themselves to understanding and advancing social justice. Now in its third year, Harper’s Social Justice Leadership Certificate program continues to grow as the country finds itself in the midst of significant […]
Bridging the gap between education and employment
“If it can be done online, it will be online.” I heard a Hyundai Corp. executive make this observation in a meeting with business leaders as the world struggled to emerge from the Great Recession in 2010. It has proved prescient and consequential, as has its corollary, “If it can be automated, it will be.” […]
Candid conversations with presidents
Lee Ann Nutt, president of Lone Star College-Tomball, Texas, didn’t know what she wanted to do in college, and even after graduating college she wasn’t so sure. After driving a tour bus for a while and returning home, she answered an ad in a newspaper for a job at a local community college. The entry-level […]
The power of passion
As an immigrant with English as my second language and a stay-at-home mother raising two children, I had never thought about pursuing a career as a community college president. The journey has been long and challenging, yet very rewarding. I am very grateful to the many wonderful mentors who encouraged, supported and guided me as […]