College of Education
School of Human Development and Organizational Studies
Institute of Higher Education (IHE)
Community College Futures Assembly
Bellwether College Consortium
P.O. Box 117049
229A Norman Hall
Gainesville, FL 32611-7049
352-273-4293
352-846-2697 Fax
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: JANUARY 27, 2015
CONTACT: Dale F. Campbell, Ph.D., Director, 352-514-0937, dfc@coe.ufl.edu
Alternate contact: Tina M. O’Daniels, Associate Director, BCC, 727-809-1816, Odaniels@ufl.edu
2015 COMMUNITY COLLEGE BELLWETHER AWARD WINNERS SELECTED
AT THE ANNUAL COMMUNITY COLLEGE FUTURES ASSEMBLY
LAKE BUENA VISTA, FL—The 2015 Community College Futures Assembly
(http://education.ufl.edu/futures/) announced the winners of the 21st annual Bellwether Awards at their annual
policy summit showcasing the competitively selected leading edge programs in community colleges worthy of
replicating.
The winners are: the Norco College (CA) in the Instructional Programming and Services (IPS)
category, Flathead Valley Community College (MT) in the Planning, Governance, and Finance (PGF) category,
and Alamo Colleges, San Antonio (TX ) in the Workforce Development (WD) category.
“In more than 1,200 national community colleges this is one of the highest honors an institution can
receive. The awards are similar to being selected by your peers for the Oscar ®” or Emmy® Award,” said
Dale, F. Campbell, Professor and Director of the Community College Futures Assembly and Institute of
Higher Education. “Leaders of past winning programs have obtained ‘free agency’ status through the
demonstrated results their programs have made. Leaders from the winning institution are often recruited by
other colleges to replicate the award-winning program. They also receive hundreds of phone calls and visits
by other colleges wanting to replicate the success of their program.”
The Instructional Programs and Services (IPS) category recognizes programs or services that have
been designed and successfully implemented to foster or support teaching and learning in the community
college. The Norco College presented a project called “Summer Advantage: A Collaborative Model for Building the
Future with College Readiness.” Norco College, in collaboration with local school district, developed a summer
program for seniors placing below college-ready in English or Mathematics. In their first term, most
The Foundation for The Gator Nation
An Equal Opportunity Institution
participating students placed one to three levels higher, enrolled fulltime in courses that included English/
mathematics, completed a Student Education Plan, and demonstrated college success. For more information
on this project please contact: Dr. Monica Green, PHONE: (951) 372-7082, EMAIL:
monica.green@norcocollege.edu.
The Planning, Governance, and Finance (PGF) category recognizes programs or activities that have been
designed and successfully implemented to improve efficiency and effectiveness in the community college.
Flathead Valley Community College presented a project called “Using Financial Aid Data and Fundraising
Strategies to Improve Access, Persistence and Completion through Scholarships” The Flathead Valley Community
College Foundation collaborated with Financial Aid and Institutional Research to examine the relationship of
scholarships financed with Foundation event proceeds to persistence and completion. Study outcomes
motivated the Foundation to improve marketing of the scholarship program, increase revenues for
scholarships, and transform its scholarship program to better impact student success. For more information
on this project please contact: Ms. Colleen Unterreiner, PHONE: (406) 756-3914, EMAIL: colleenu@fvcc.edu.
.
The Workforce Development (WD) category recognizes programs that create public and/or private strategic
alliances and partnerships that promote community and economic development. Alamo Colleges, San
Antonio presented a project called “Alamo Academies - An Industry-Driven, Higher Education Program of Studies,
Workforce and Economic Development Partnership: Boosting the School-to-Careers Pipeline.” Alamo Academies – An
internationally recognized partnership between higher education and industry providing at-risk youth with
tuition-free career pathways into critical demand technical STEM occupations. The program utilizes
contextualized industry-driven curricula resulting in 95% of graduates entering higher education or highwage careers in Aerospace, Manufacturing, Information Technology, Health and Heavy Equipment. For more
information on this program please contact: Dr. Bruce Leslie, PHONE (210) 485 0020, EMAIL:
bleslie@alamo.edu.
The featured keynote address was presented by Joanna Barsh, the Director Emeritus at McKinsey &
Company, and best-selling author of How Remarkable Women Lead and Centered Leadership. Together the lessons
from the speakers and keynote address served as the basis for introspection, strategic decision making to assist
college leaders in continuing to lead their institutions forward in meeting the needs of their students and
communities.
The Community College Futures Assembly has been held annually in Lake Buena Vista, Florida at the
Hilton Hotel and serves as an independent policy summit, to identify the critical issues facing community
college leaders, while showcasing leading edge programs with demonstrated results, worthy of replicating.
This year approximately 1,000 programs were nominated nationwide with over 300 applications received.
Peer-reviewed committees judge entries in each of the three categories to select ten finalists to go to Lake
Buena Vista to present and showcase their programs. In the last two decades only 53 winning programs have
been honored programs with the prestigious Bellwether Award.
This year’s Community College Futures Assembly was preceded by a national policy summit on
reverse transfer. Jointly cosponsored by the University of Florida’s Institute of Higher Education and National
Student Clearinghouse, higher education officials convened from over half of the states learning latest policies
and procedures institutions can consider replicating to facilitate the reverse transfer of credits back to associate
degree granting institutions to assist greater numbers of students attaining a higher education credential.
The Institute of Higher Education is an official affiliate of the University of Florida and the College of
Education. Founded in 1906 the College of Education consistently ranks in the top 25 among public education
schools in the elite Association of American Universities. The Institute of Higher Education (IHE) at the
University of Florida sponsors the Community College Futures Assembly annually. The IHE and Higher
Education Administration program, through the Community College Futures Assembly, continue in this long
tradition of conducting policy research, preparing leaders for community college teaching and administration
while partnering with affiliate educational organizational bodies and entities nationally to showcase trendsetting programs worthy of replication.
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