Community College Leader to Focus on Student Completion

Oregon Educator Begins Term as Chair of National Association

WASHINGTON, July 1 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Helping the nation's community colleges to meet the challenge of educating millions more students over the next decade – a priority of the Obama Administration and leading philanthropic organizations – will be priority one for Dr. John J. "Ski" Sygielski as he takes over as chair of the board of directors of the American Association of Community Colleges (AACC)  this week.

"Right now the central role community colleges play in opening the door of educational opportunity has never been more critical," Sygielski said. "Particularly in times of economic stress, they offer a lifeline to millions of adult learners seeking new skills and an affordable path to younger students just beginning their college experience."

In assuming chairmanship of the association, which represents close to 90 percent of the nation's two-year colleges, Sygielski also hopes to underscore the importance of accountability among community colleges through a new Voluntary Framework of Accountability, now in development, with support from Lumina Foundation for Education and the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation.

Sygielski, who currently serves as president of Oregon's Mt. Hood Community College, officially assumes his duties as chair of the 32-member board July 1 and will serve a one-year term, 2010-2011.  He succeeds Mary F.T. Spilde, president of Lane Community College, (Ore.).

Joining Sygielski in new roles on the AACC board are Myrtle E.B. Dorsey, chancellor of Baton Rouge Community College (La.), who becomes board chair-elect, and 10 newly-elected board members, elected by the AACC membership and confirmed by the board in April for three-year terms. They include:

Michael Chipps, president and CEO, Mid-Plains Community College Area (Neb.); Patricia Granado, president of Triton College (Ill.); G. Edward Hughes, president and CEO, Gateway Community and Technical College (Ky.);  Carole Berotte Joseph, president, Massachusetts Bay Community College;  Alex Johnson, president, Community College of Allegheny County (Pa.);  Jane Karas, president, Flathead Valley Community College, (Mont.); Thelma Scott-Skillman, president, Folsom Lake College (Calif.);  Jennifer Wimbish, president of Cedar Valley College (Texas); Richard Duran, president, Oxnard College (Calif.) (institution at-large representative);  Shirley Pippins, senior vice president of programs and services, American Council on Education, (Washington, D.C.) (public-at-large representative).

In addition to three-year term board members, the following individuals were appointed to complete one-year terms formerly held by presidents who retired or resigned: Cindy Miles, chancellor, Grossmont-Cuyamaca Community College District,(Calif.);  Joseph Seabrooks, president of Metropolitan Community College -- Blue River (Mo.).

The American Association of Community Colleges is a national organization representing the nation's close to 1,200 community, junior and technical colleges and their more than 12 million students. Community colleges are the largest and fastest growing sector of higher education, annually educating almost half of all U.S. undergraduates.

SOURCE American Association of Community Colleges