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community college

in Community, Leadership, Uncategorized

I am hooked

I must admit that I am shameless when it comes to never turning down an opportunity to talk about community colleges or about my own college, CCBC.  After 52 years of serving as a community college professional, these institutions are a part of me; that magical “open door” mission is in my blood.  And why would you ever stop doing…

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in Commencement, Events, Students

Commencement is our affirmation

Each year I have the privilege of presiding over CCBC’s Graduation Ceremony held under a massive tent on the lawn of our Essex campus. With a capacity to hold 5,000, the tent overflowed with guests gathered to honor and celebrate their very own graduate, often the first in the family to earn a college degree.  Grandmothers, babies, moms, dads and…

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in Awards, Events, Faculty, Inspiration, Leadership

Honoring longevity

May is a busy month at CCBC.  It marks the end of the academic year but also serves as a time to celebrate:  students, of course, scholars, athletes and leaders, but also our faculty and staff, not just for years of service—for putting in time—but for the real achievement.  To that end, I recently hosted CCBC’s Emeritus Induction Ceremony where we…

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in Awards, Events, Inspiration, Leadership, Students

Celebrating students

Spring is among the best times of the year at any college because almost everyday we get to celebrate students, athletes, scholars, service, honor recipients…all the way up to Commencement.  So it was with both pride and pleasure that I welcomed 400 of our academic elite at the recent Student Awards Banquet.  Here at CCBC we often say that our…

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in Events, Inspiration, Leadership

Our time has come

This year I have had the honor of serving as the chair of the Board of Directors of the American Association of Community Colleges.  As chair, I recently had the privilege of convening our association’s national convention in Orlando, Florida, welcoming 2,000 community college colleagues from around the country.  In the spirit of the conference theme: “Our time has come,”…

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in Community, Global Education, Students

Lifting every student

As Virginia Senator Tim Kaine accepted the National Education Service Award at this year’s National Legislative Summit, he described education as “the great lifter and the great leveler.”  These words speak to the heart of the open door mission of America’s community colleges, serving the 12 million Americans who fill our classrooms each year.  The theme of “Diversity, Equity and…

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