VCCS
Chancellor Glenn DuBois has been conducting a series of listening tour sessions
around the state, giving him the opportunity to hear directly from elected,
community, education, economic development and business leaders about
challenges that would benefit from greater community college focus. Work on the third strategic plan of DuBois’
tenure as chancellor will begin in January, and continue throughout 2014.
Thursday’s
meeting was well attended by business and community leaders, educators, local
entrepreneurs, board members, faculty and staff. Topics of discussion included job retaining
for workers as technology advances, formalizing internships programs, increasing
community awareness of community college offerings such as the Guaranteed
Transfer program and Advanced College Academy, programs for adult learners, and
investigating ways that small businesses could increase their engagement with
community colleges to the benefit of both.
“Increasingly, community colleges are being
looked at as the go-to place for bringing a community together and building a
consensus for designing its future. That’s a new 21st century role that we are
being asked to fulfill, and our community colleges are up to the task,” said
DuBois.
DuBois
expects to announce the members of a taskforce that will create the next VCCS
six-year strategic plan in the next few days.
The plan will succeed the current VCCS six-year strategic plan, Achieve
2015.
