Our road trip began over a delightful dinner with Susan Huard, who serves as both a Commissioner of NECHE and Interim Chancellor of the Community College System of New Hampshire. CCSNH oversees seven institutions: Great Bay Community College, Lakes Region Community College, Manchester Community College, Nashua Community College, River Valley Community College, White Mountains Community…Continue readingPit Stop #16: Community College System of New Hampshire
They call it the North Country and guess what? It is very far north, with Berlin, New Hampshire, home of White Mountains Community College, just about sixty miles from the Canadian border. Betty and I arrived in the North Country on a Sunday, put on our hiking boots and a whole lot of layers, and…Continue readingPit Stop #15: White Mountains Community College
I’m about halfway through my NECHE on the Road Trip — 25 stops at colleges and universities across New England, watching, observing, listening, and recording their leaders as they talk about their institutions specifically, and the state of higher education in general. It’s been quite a fascinating and beautiful trip so far. (And yes, observant…Continue readingThe View from 800 Miles
It’s a real treat when one gets to meet up with an old friend. Vince Maniaci, President of the American International College in Springfield, Massachusetts and I were doctoral classmates a couple decades ago at the University of Pennsylvania. This is the first time I’ve seen him in years, but Vince hasn’t changed a bit–…Continue readingPit Stop #14: American International College
So, here’s a multiple choice question for you. How many square feet do you imagine the campus of Springfield Technical Community College encompasses? a) 50,000 square feet b) 100,000 square feet c) 250,000 square feet, or d) 1 million square feet. Here’s a clue that will be totally useless: enrollment at the affectionately-known “Stick” is…Continue readingPit Stop #13: Springfield Technical Community College
Over the course of my career, I have been on hundreds of college campuses, including some of the most beautiful ones in the country. I’m not easy to impress with campus aesthetics, but I was admittedly gobsmacked when I was treated to a campus tour of Mount Holyoke College by its President, Sonya Stephens. Mount…Continue readingPit Stop #12: Mount Holyoke College
Double your pleasure, double your fun. What a treat it was to visit with both the President of Greenfield Community College, Yves Salomon-Fernandez, and the Chair of the Board, Robbie Cohn. (You can hear them both on my podcast below.) Not to spoil the surprise, but my favorite quote of the day was when I…Continue readingPit Stop #11: Greenfield Community College
It’s October 22nd in Western Massachusetts, temperatures in the mid-70s, and delightfully sunny. I suppose it will get colder soon, but the glorious day allowed me to sit outside at a cafe off Route 9 with the President of Hampshire College, Ed Wingenbach. We were talking about his rather extraordinarily challenging first fifteen months on…Continue readingPit Stop #10: Hampshire College
News Flash: I love to visit with leaders of our community colleges. They are so incredibly passionate about their work and committed to doing the hard and absolutely essential work of changing the course of their students’ lives. Christina Royal, President of Holyoke Community College (HCC), located in the heart of beautiful Pioneer Valley of…Continue readingPit Stop #9: Holyoke Community College
I was able to catch up with Chancellor (and NECHE Commissioner) Todd Leach over lunch at his office in Concord where we had a free-ranging conversation. Chancellor Leach has presided over the four public state universities in New Hampshire for seven years, after a term as President of one of those four, Granite State College.…Continue readingPit Stop #8: New Hampshire University System