RCC President To Join Prestigious Designer's In Residence

Nanuet NY

25 May, 2021

8:53 PM

Description

Press release from Rockland Community College: May 25, 2021 ROCKLAND COUNTY, N.Y. (May 25, 2021) – Rockland Community College announced todaythat Dr. Michael Baston, President, has been selected to join the Education Design Lab'sDesigners in Residence program. As a part of the program, Dr. Baston will be building onidentifying the jobs of the future and developing curriculums and career skill pathways that meetthe needs of community and commerce partners, and continuing to develop the RCC initiativeof Steps Beyond Statements to close equity gaps. Spanning a diverse cross-section of communities, institutional positionality, and lived experienceand expertise, the Designers in Residence will work together as a design team to co-create amodel for colleges to be regional change agents to close economic and racial opportunity gaps aswe move into a post-COVID economy. "I am honored to be selected to be a Designer in Residence. This presents a unique opportunityto learn from innovators across the country and contribute the insight we have amassed at RCCto help others develop the institutions that they want to see serving their communities. RCC has along-standing commitment to be a catalyst for economic growth in our region, offeringthoughtfully designed programs and partnerships that are responsive to both student andworkforce needs. But we can always do more to support students, which includes learning fromother innovators across the country," said Dr. Baston. "Within the cohort, we will be able toleverage our collective expertise to develop new insights regarding how higher education canbest serve students today and in the future. I look forward to those insights impacting not onlyour own students, but students across the country." Dr. Baston intends to share RCC's Steps Beyond Statements program which dictates thatcommunity colleges must first offer a safe and welcoming environment, create strategicpartnerships between the college and the community, and take advantage of organizationalresources and collaborative leadership to ensure equitable opportunities and outcomes for allstudents. In 2021, 22% fewer students enrolled in higher education than prior to the COVID-19 pandemic,a number that increases to 30% for students from low-income high schools. Simultaneously, 42%of jobs lost during the pandemic may disappear forever, requiring postsecondary education toreimagine how learners are prepared to enter the workforce. Across New York the number ofstudents applying to attend one of the State University of New York's 64 campuses fell by 20percent this year amid the coronavirus pandemic. One of the major objectives of the Workforce Development Board of Rockland County is to strategically direct training resources to in-demand industries that are driving economic development in the County. The four key industries of focus are Advanced Manufacturing, Data Technology, Biomedical, and Hospitality and Tourism. To help address these disparities, Designers in Residence will leverage their collective expertiseto co-create a framework that centers on the needs of their learners within a rapidly evolvingeconomy and provide the start of a roadmap for other institutions and innovators seeking to buildand scale this system. "We hope to emerge from this year with design tools that will position the scores of learnersuccess partnerships around the country to seize what we all believe is an innovation moment,coming out of the pandemic," said Kathleen deLaski, CEO of the Education Design Lab."Colleges recognize that their roles are evolving along with learner views about degrees andemployer's needs, and with a heightened urgency around what it will take to break down racialand economic barriers to open up livable wage futures for all." Other members of the Designers in Residence cohort include:Bonita Brown, Vice President and Chief Strategy Officer, Northern Kentucky UniversityAhmad Ezzeddine, Associate Vice President of Educational Outreach and InternationalPrograms, Wayne State UniversityChanel L. Fort, Director of Academic Innovation and Learning Strategist, Fortified LearningSolutions, Stillman CollegeRose Rojas, Interim Director of Workforce Strategy, Maricopa Community CollegeAdrian Haugabrook, Executive Vice President and Managing Director, Social Impact Collective,Southern New Hampshire UniversityLisa Larson, President, Eastern Maine Community CollegeCameron McCoy, Incoming Provost, Shenandoah UniversityNicole McDonald, Assistant Vice President, University of HoustonJairo McMican, Dean of Student Learning/Director of Equity and Pathways, Central CarolinaCommunity CollegeIan Roark, Vice President of Workforce Development and Strategic Partnerships, PimaCommunity CollegeStacy Townsley, Vice President of Adult Strategy and Statewide Partnerships, Ivy TechCommunity College This program is funded by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation and views expressed by theprogram do not necessarily reflect positions or policies of the foundation. Learn more about theprogram here. This press release was produced by the Rockland Community College. The views expressed here are the author's own.