Tight budgets and, increasingly, cuts in funding for higher education make this a perilous time for colleges and universities. Compounding the crisis is the fact that enrollments are rising while appropriations are decreasing. Even community colleges, which thrive on the concept of the "open door," may soon have to say no to prospective students.
If there is good news, it may be that, as Gordon Davies has said, "[the] most substantive change and improvement has come when money is scarce."
This teleconference will offer real-world examples of leadership strategies and tactics that break with tradition, but which are making the difference for cash-strapped college and universities. Panelists are among the vanguard making such changes as:
- making fundraising a major priority
- spending less time on traditional academic duties in order to spend more time on "selling" the institution
- depending less on legislative support and becoming more entrepreneurial Strengthening the ties between the institution and its community to provide more service and to get more buy-in and support
- looking for ways to collaborate, rather than compete, with other colleges and universities in the same area
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Produced in cooperation with the American Association of Community Colleges.
Endorsed by the American Association of State Colleges and Universities.
Panelists
Jesus "Jess" Carreon brings three distinct perspectives on the financial plight of community colleges and on how they are dealing with the situation. As Chair of the Board of the American Association of Community Colleges, he knows the national scene very well. As the former President of Portland Community College, he helped that institution cope with serious budget reductions in higher education in Oregon. As the current Chancellor of the Dallas County Community College District, he is dealing with funding cuts in the face of explosive student enrollments in a system with seven colleges that are independently accredited.
Rich Pattenaude is President of the University of Southern Maine, the largest university in the state with campuses in Portland, Gorham and Lewiston-Auburn. Under his leadership, USM is dealing with budget problems by aggressively pursuing external funding; focusing on more effective communications; evaluating internal processes to achieve savings that, in turn, can be dedicated to programs that respond to clearly defined community needs; and re-engineering the institution to improve the quality of campus life for students, faculty and staff. USM has literally, as one educator said, "grown itself out of the economic problems" of the previous decade, and is on track to repeat that feat.
Mimi Valek, President, Brazosport College in Lake Jackson, TX, is an innovator who has dealt with her institution's financial problems by breaking with traditional academic policies and leadership roles. This summer she led a successful effort for Brazosport to be given limited authority by the state's higher education board to grant bachelor's degrees in specific fields of study. Earlier, she focused on fundraising for the college's foundation, juggling other academic and administrative duties for more than a year. Her bold step paid off, and the Brazosport Community College Foundation raised $5 million for new facilities, proving that innovation can make major differences at small and mid-sized colleges.
Tony Zeiss, President of Central Piedmont Community College in Charlotte, NC, is a national leader in challenging community college presidents to adopt entrepreneurial strategies and to develop new selling skills to help their institutions take more control of their financial futures. Two of his recent innovations include selling class sponsorships to businesses and creating a 501c3 organization to support entrepreneurial activities at his college. He has authored or co-authored several books and many articles, and he is a frequent keynoter for companies and colleges. Central Piedmont, the largest college in North Carolina, serves 70,000 students per year, and has grown from one campus to six during his tenure.
Program Moderator
Bill Wenrich, Chancellor Emeritus and former chief executive officer of the Dallas County Community College District (DCCCD), brings high-level leadership experience and insight to the issues and problems facing higher education. Immediately prior to coming to Dallas, he was Chancellor of the San Diego Community College District (SDCCD). The DCCCD is the largest undergraduate institution in Texas, and the SDCCD the second-largest two-year system in California. Additionally, he is a past Chairman of the Board of the League for Innovation in the Community College. Previously, he moderated the Dallas TeleLearning teleconferences "Accreditation on Trial: Who Needs It" and "With a Little Help From My Friends: Implementing Information Technology into the Cirruculum."