REFLECTIONS … Where it’s All About You

As our thanksgiving Holiday fades and we look forward to our holiday celebration I thought it might be a good time to reflect on what has happened the last five years since I became President at Labette Community College. I can remember my interview like it was yesterday. I recall the Board of Trustees having a strong commitment to our students and wanting to afford all of our students the very best learning opportunities available. As a matter of fact I recall reading about the other two presidential finalists and their commitment to growth and student learning as well. So here we are five years later and look at things Labette Community College has accomplished for its’ students. We have provided classrooms with state-of the-art-technology, we have planned for and taken strong measures to insure the safety of our faculty, staff, administration, and students, we have received numerous grants that have brought much need funds to our College. Because of those funds we are able to enhance existing programs and add three new healthcare programs. We continue to meet the needs of our students and the job market. We were able to open a new center in Cherokee County that is not only serving our underserved students, but far exceeding the predictions of our well thought out business plan. There is no doubt that our Country and our community is suffering the effects of tough economic times, but still Labette Community College continues to grow and prosper. When we started talking about building a new health/science building we kept hearing you’ll never be able to raise that kind of money in our community. To date we have raised almost 6 million dollars locally from community members like yourselves that believe what we do is important. We all know that the students we educate and train now will be our future.

I have the pleasure of working with the most talented faculty, staff and administration that any president has ever had the opportunity to work with. Labette Community College is a very special place to both Carol and I. We can’t imagine serving any other College. We have made a commitment to this College and to serve our community. There has been a lot of interesting press over the last two months and I wanted to at least mention that in my “reflections” hence the second part of the title for this editorial. It isn’t about me, it isn’t about the Board of Trustees, it is simply all about our students. I’ve made decisions based on what I believe is in the best interest of our students, faculty and staff. Would another president have done things the same way, maybe not. Would a different Board of Trustees given me a different charge when they hired me, it’s possible. We are all individuals and different things motivate us. What has motivated this administration is serving our students in the best possible environment we can. I think students agree. We have experienced our highest enrollments in a very long time. We currently have a 30% increase in our in-state student population, our overall enrollment increase is 17% and we are serving students in Cherokee county by leaps and bounds. Our students in our Nursing program, Radiography program and Respiratory Care program continue to exceed national norms. We continue to honor Alumni who talk about their beginnings at Labette Community College and how is has impacted their lives. This is success no matter how you look at it. Labette Community College is “Where It’s All About You.”

My job is to work with a very talented group of people to insure student success and make recommendations to our Board of Trustees with well thought out suggestions and data for them to make the best possible decisions they can. As we approach a new year, as always, I ask you to think about the almost 9 million dollars that Labette Community College puts back into our local economy every year. Next time you visit Labette Health think about the number of talented health specialists that have been trained at Labette Community College and are there to serve you. Think about the volumes of students that have passed through the doors of Labette Community College and because of their education have made a difference in their personal lives and a difference in our lives. I hope over the course of 2010 that you will take the opportunity to visit your campus and stop and look at the wonderful art gallery that houses so many talented artists’ work. Attend an athletic event. Our students really need your support. Take the opportunity to eat in the Cardinal Café. I’ve gained 10 pounds since I started eating there. The food is outstanding. Walk around our campus and take note of the care we have taken to improve our facilities for our students. We do all of this because it is “Where It’s All About You,” our students. I hope all of you have one of the very best holiday seasons you can. And that you look forward to 2010 with the same excitement I do as we continue to grow and serve our students. Together we all make a difference in lives we don’t even know about. I hope you all have a very blessed holiday and a very happy New Year.