During this difficult period, I have continued to be inspired by our students, faculty, staff, Board members, and the communities we serve. At the same time, I draw on my love of basketball—and those who I consider the two greatest coaches of all time—to keep me focused and, no pun intended, and keep my eye on the ball. I find myself reflecting often on the words of Tennessee Women’s Basketball coach Pat Summitt and UCLA (and Purdue graduate) Coach John Wooden to renew myself daily to lead Clark State College. Their quotes, taped to my computer, state:
Pat Summitt: “If you don’t want the responsibility, don’t sit in the big chair.”
John Wooden: “Whatever you do in life, surround yourself with smart people who will argue with you.”
With these thoughts in mind, I remind myself that Clark State continues to lead in spite of significant headwinds in higher education in particular and in our communities in general. The COVID-19 pandemic has accelerated innovations and operational changes and helped us clarify our mission and better serve students. Here is how Clark State continues to meet these challenges:
1. Student Focus—Clark State is known for its relentless focus on student success, and we have adapted during this pandemic to address critical and basic needs for our students through emergency and COVID-relief funds. The latest round of COVID-relief funds—nearly $7 million for Clark State--will be utilized to ensure that we are helping students complete their programs and removing barriers to students who plan to begin their programs; making additional long-term investments in safety and our physical/academic infrastructure that will improve the student experience and our technological capabilities; and focusing on innovation within the college, including professional development and new academic programs.
2. Mission—Clark State College is our new name, but in no way have we left the community behind. Our college continues to reach out to business partners, university collaborators, and community members to ensure strong curriculum alignment, job placement, effective and substantial transfer of coursework, and the addition of programs that meet regional needs, such as our two baccalaureate degrees: Web Development and Design and Manufacturing Technology Management. Clark State is enjoying strong enrollments in both programs, and looks to add more industry-focused Bachelor’s degrees in the future.
3. Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion—One of Clark State’s guiding principles is diversity, and we know that our diversity as an institution is our strength. Our employees and students represent many different races, socioeconomic backgrounds, preparation levels, and ages. While we always roll out the welcome mat for our students, we want to ensure we are giving each student what they need, tailored to them, and that is the heart of equity and inclusion. The best way that equity was described to me is this: “Diversity is being invited to the party; inclusion is being asked to dance.” I would add that equity is asking, “Which dance and how would you like to dance?”
I want to make sure that the strategies that I am leading as President of Clark State College are responsible, responsive, and collaborative. I have surrounded myself with the smartest administrators, faculty, staff, students and community members, who work together and share their feedback and creativity, and that makes it a lot easier to sit in the big chair.
Jo Alice Blondin, Ph.D., is President of Clark State College.
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