New Higher Education Clinical Faculty Announcement
Please read the following letter from Dr. Bowman about her decision to join the MCE.
Dr. Linda Bowman
Dear Colleagues,
Last month, I attended a regional summit on community colleges, hosted by U.S. Department of Education Undersecretary Martha Kanter. Dr. Kanter, a former community college educator, talked about the imperative for a U.S. strategy for higher education. She told the audience that we have a crisis, that the U.S. has slipped to 9th in the world in higher education attainment. She talked about the U.S. need to focus on the top 100% of students. And she said that only one part of U.S. higher education can carry this responsibility: community colleges. The remarkable accomplishments by all of you this year are further evidence that CCA is positioned to carry this agenda.
At the end of the summer, I will begin my twelfth--and final--academic year at CCA. I am so proud of CCA, of you, of our accomplishments. I plan to return to my roots, to teach, and in fall 2012, I will be joining the faculty at the University of Denver's Morgridge College of Education, in their Higher Education program. My work there will focus on preparing the next generation of leaders for community colleges. I am excited that I will also continue my work with the Colorado Community College System, with leadership development, mentoring and coaching. And hopefully I will have the opportunity to serve internationally.
We have a great deal to accomplish in the coming months, as we build upon our successes and our opportunities. We have a remarkable faculty and staff. We have begun the long-term process of reaching the promise of the Lowry Campus. We are beginning our critical preparations for our ten-year visit by the Higher Learning Commission. We have implemented the highest standards in our business practices. We have made significant organizational changes to provide greater support for students, with a strong emphasis on retention and graduation. We are forging ahead in our quest to not only assess student learning but to continually improve their outcomes. We are striving to provide more support for faculty and staff as they go about this incredible work. We are growing in our online and concurrent programs, and we continue to work hard to provide the people and the structure that will ensure the highest quality across every teaching and learning experience. We are experimenting with methods and modalities and technologies that have great promise for further meeting student needs-not just for what they want but for what they really need for success.
So, while I know that there will be changes ahead, right now, we all have a critical job to do and promises to keep. I look forward to our doing that job together.
Sincerely,
Linda
