Lobbying and a Little More

Sometimes you wonder if lobbying matters or not. I recently had an experience that made me see how a trip to Albany can matter in unexpected ways. Last week, the New York Community College Trustees Association coordinated a day of advocacy for community colleges. Each community college in SUNY brought trustees, staff and students to Albany for meetings with our respective elected officials. As the saying goes, it was a day to remember.

I joined two other administrators in taking two students to Albany for a day of scheduled meetings. The students had never been to Albany. One was a returning adult student who already had a college degree, but came to MVCC to get a business degree to help her husband with their growing family business. The other student was a second year student who overcame a number of barriers as a youth to attend MVCC right after school.

Arriving a little early, we walked over to the Capitol to look around some before our first meeting. Just as the students were commenting at their new surroundings, we started up the escalator and said “good morning, Governor” as Governor Patterson and his staff were headed down the escalator. As we stepped off and came to the information desk, I asked the staff member where we might go for a self-guided tour. She quickly responded, “It’s early, I have time to show you around.” She grabbed her keys and took us into the Senate Chambers and gave us a wonderful tour, describing the beautiful architecture and some of the history in our view. Soon after, we went through the Assembly Chambers, walked the million dollar staircase, and toured the beautiful law library. It was a fantastic way to start our day.

During our scheduled series of meetings with Assemblymen Magee and Townsend, Assemblywoman Destito and Senator Griffo, we met staff and students from other community colleges and got familiar with many of our fellow New Yorkers in the crammed elevators – to the point that we were using the stairs by the end of the day. We were able to hear the latest challenges our elected officials are facing – cutting $9-10 billion out of a $56 billion budget. The revenue streams keep falling short of expectations and the solutions for simply “cutting” are becoming increasingly scarce. We were there the day the proposed “bailout” solution was proposed, which would prohibit any basic transformational pain that is likely to be the only long-term solution for New York State government. We were able to talk about the exciting initiatives at the College, the challenges we face and demonstrate the difference MVCC makes in its students' lives through the personal stories of the students with us who shared their experiences and perspectives with the officials (they did a fantastic job.)

It is hard to quantify how much our visits mattered in the overall scheme of the 2010 political session in Albany. However, it was pretty easy to see how much our visits mattered to the students, and in turn, to the rest of our team. To see their reactions and listen to their reflections throughout the day was a real treat. It was evident that the day created multiple lasting memories for the students and for us. The 90 minute ride from Utica to Albany also mattered in that the five of us got to know each other better and truly feel part of a team, so proud to represent MVCC. An added bonus for me was within 24 hours after our trip to Albany, I happened to cross paths with both students. We smiled and said hello – knowing that our time together was much more than just lobbying. If you have any thoughts on this post, please contact me at presblog@mvcc.edu.

Previewing the Future

Over the past year, I have had the tremendous good fortune to visit with the superintendent of nearly every school district in Oneida County (I'll complete my tour later this month).  I did this in preparation for our 3rd annual superintendent’s breakfast that will take place March 18th.  The possibility was too tempting – to get to walk the halls of every high school, sometimes the middle schools and junior highs, and sometimes even the elementary schools in every district.  The experience has allowed me to see first-hand what MVCC students of tomorrow are experiencing today…and think about what their expectations will be when they arrive at our doors.

An early indicator came in my first visit when the Superintendent told me that they had installed smartboard technology in every elementary and junior high classroom and were scheduled to finish the high school in the fall.  I later walked through many schools where smartboards were in every classroom in the district.  Fortunately, we are well on our way with smartboards and related faculty training in the active use of the technology – clearly, many of our future students will be expecting it. Although the classroom furniture was often the porcelain tablet armchairs, they were often in mixed arrangements and, as a percentage, more classrooms had tables and chairs than we currently have.  Our recent efforts to update classroom furniture need to continue and help create a more tangible difference between a high school and college classroom experience.

I received countless positive comments about the opportunity our dual credit offerings in the high schools provide their (our) students.  The changes we’ve made over the past year as a result of receiving national accreditation of our dual credit offerings have all been well received.  The curriculum, textbooks, and assessment processes are far more consistent than ever and the instructors feel more connected to MVCC as our adjunct faculty.  These responses were very affirming for me and signaled a shift from dual credit feeling like an expansive enrollment paper shuffle to the significant and relevant academic partnership effort that it needs to be.

Consistent challenges that became increasingly evident include the need to take action on aligning our curriculum better.  The number of students testing below college level is alarming - however, I received very insightful feedback that should prompt us to take a very close look at our basic skills testing processes and benchmark current practices of both two-year and four-year schools.  In addition, many schools are looking to us in the area of career education.  Not just to simply expand our partnerships with local BOCES, but to find creative ways to partner and have the College serve a larger role in creating opportunities for younger students - perhaps career awareness activities in elementary, career exposure activities in middle and junior level schools, and partnering with the School and Business Alliance and others to create career experiences at the high school level.

Much work needs to be done, but much of it is already underway.  We have many ‘boutique’ programs and various pilot models in place with school districts throughout the area.  With the unprecedented fiscal constraints facing us all, now is the time to bring these smaller programs to scale.  A perfect summary statement made at the end of one school visit captures the general tenor of most districts, “if you and your colleagues at MVCC have any ideas for innovation, creativity, or bold thinking with regard to programming, call us. We’re in.  We want to make it happen for our kids.”  We need to make it happen.  If you have any thoughts on this, please contact me at presblog@mvcc.edu.

A Multi-Campus College

All the other community colleges where I’ve worked have multiple campuses. The fact that MVCC has always had multiple campuses appealed to me from the very beginning. However, my understanding of MVCC history is that the multi-campus past of the College has not always been straight-forward or easy, but the present may provide a clearer path for the future.

Soon after the College was founded in 1946, two campuses were in operation – one at the former country day school in New Hartford (for the business and retail programs) and the State Street center (for the engineering and technical programs). By 1953, the business activity in Rome and the emergence of the Air Force Base helped prompt the opening of the Rome Campus. 1960 brought the establishment of the current campus in Utica that combined the two existing sites. Despite being in operation for more than 50 years, the last few years has seen a number of questions surrounding the Rome Campus. A SUNY study group spent a year examining the options associated with the future of the Rome Campus. Their recommendations led to the creation of the Rome Campus Commission – a group of dedicated community volunteers and key MVCC staff members.

Over the last two years, the recommendations of the Rome Campus Commission have helped to accelerate incredible results that were already underway. Overall, the number of course sections offered has increased 13% and credit hour enrollment has increased 43% between 2004 and 2009 and that trend continues this year. Our creative partnerships at the Rome Campus are thriving with Sage Trucking and the tractor-trailer training school, SUNY-Canton and the Dental Hygiene program and Rome Memorial Hospital supporting our strong nursing program offerings there. In addition, student activities are on the rise in Rome with a significant increase in the number of events and attendees, as well as expanded Cultural Series offerings.

About 14% of all student credit hours this semester come from the Rome Campus and 74% from the Utica Campus (the remainder come from Online offerings and dual credit partnerships with local high schools). While less than 1/5 of all enrollment, the central geographic presence in Oneida County and the close proximity to the Griffiss Business & Technology Park cannot be understated in terms of the importance of the Rome Campus. Our current master planning process is assisting our collective thinking with regard to forwarding the notion of MVCC as one college with two campuses (or more when we think of a virtual, online campus, but that’s for another post). Whatever the past may be, our current perceptions are greatly influenced – sometimes good and others not so good. Looking to the future, students must be the center of our thinking – the community and our students need more than a narrow mindset of Utica vs. Rome or vice versa. Dated arguments rooted in parochial notions fail to demonstrate a commitment to excellence and a spirit of service from every angle. Regardless of where students attend classes at MVCC, Rome, Utica, or Online, they’re all MVCC students and should receive the same high level student experience.

If you have any thoughts on this post, please contact me at presblog@mvcc.edu.

The "Community's College"

Community colleges around the country often refer to themselves as their “community’s college” – MVCC is no different. However, many community colleges also often refer to themselves as “the best kept secret in town.” In contrast, I’ve never heard that statement in reference to MVCC and that is something special to me. Although we may not be the best kept secret around (what do you think it is?), most people only understand the part of MVCC with which they interact and remain unaware of the full scope and magnitude of our programs and services.

Credit Programs

For the past 64 years, MVCC has offered a comprehensive array of career programs that help students – young and old – to develop skills for the workplace. From Accounting to Welding and most things in between, students can find their career of choice here. Our transfer programs continue to expand – whether it’s creating new agreements with the likes of Cornell or Syracuse or continuing long-established agreements like we have in engineering, as three of our students were recently recognized by the Mohawk Valley Engineer’s Executive Council for winning scholarships and competitions at Clarkson and RPI.

College Prep and Specialized Training Programs

Through the Center for Corporate and Community Education (CCED) at MVCC, nearly 2,000 individuals received some form of specialized training last year through our partnerships with more than 50 local companies - much of this training was delivered on-site at the workplace. In addition, college-prep courses are offered by many of our academic centers for those students who need to complete an English or Math sequence of courses to prepare for college-level work. Similarly, the number of English language learners continues to grow in this community and the College is responding with quality English as a Second Language courses, as years ago, MVCC was the first to offer an ESL Certificate program in the state.

Community Education

Perhaps the best kept secret about the College is that we serve about two-thirds as many students in our non-credit courses as we do in our credit courses. More than 1,000 individuals enroll in our swim courses and thousands more enroll in our wellness and community education offerings – from aerobics to yoga and finances to social media. In addition, we expect more than 200 area youth to explore their future career choices in our third summer of career camps, as part of our summer College for Kids program.

Partnerships

Creative partnerships are one of the five strategic priorities in our Strategic Plan at MVCC and they have produced some wonderful results. On our Utica Campus, the Mohawk Valley Police Academy has been training cohorts of future police officers for communities both locally and regionally for close to forty years and the ARC of Oneida and Lewis Counties operates the CollegeWorks program. At our Rome Campus, SUNY-Canton runs their Dental Hygiene program and Sage Trucking runs a tractor-trailer driving school. CCED takes the lead in many of our community partnerships, some of which receive special funding, that include offering employability skills and introductory human services classes on site at Johnson Park; partnering with Mohawk Valley Community Action to deliver training for soon-to-be-released inmates at local correctional facilities; partnering with the Veteran’s Center in Utica to renovate parts of the former YMCA to create an Internet Café and housing for veterans; partnering with Workforce Investment Board and Working Solutions to secure funding and provide services for unemployed and underemployed individuals seeking career changes; and the City of Rome to develop incubator space for small business development. The list of partnerships continues to grow, but I’ll stop here and save some for another post.

As the winter sun reveals itself on this beautiful morning, I could continuing writing (I haven’t even touched on our successful athletic programs, our amazing cultural series, exciting partnership with Kien Giang Community College in Vietnam, community contributions of TeamMVCC, and so many other special pieces to the MV puzzle.) but I’d be interested in what you think about what truly makes us our “community’s college.” You can share your thoughts with me at presblog@mvcc.edu.

Beyond the Meetings

A significant part of my job consists of a daily calendar filled with meetings that leave little chance for genuine interaction with students. Fortunately, I’ve been able to seize opportunities and create others to keep me grounded through meaningful student conversations. These experiences provide me with tremendous perspective and insight into the student experience at Mohawk Valley Community College.

With the help of our student life office, I’m into my second year of monthly luncheons with 4-6 students. It is here that I receive the most direct feedback. In 90 minutes over a sandwich in the residence dining hall in Utica or at the Rome Campus, I learn the story behind the returning adult student and the record of the presidential scholar. I gain perspective on registration, advising, classroom and non-classroom interactions, course offerings in Rome, and of course…parking. One thing I’m always struck by is when the students say, “MVCC is harder than I thought.” I can then share stories of recent alums who stop by my office or come back to visit campus and comment on how well prepared they were for their next step. It’s the same for those that transfer as it is for those who are in the workplace – they’re ready.

In addition, I joined members of my Cabinet and the MVCC Board of Trustees for our annual dinner with student leaders. The small group discussions provided all of us with valuable insight into the student experience here. With the great support of Sodexho, I joined about 10 MVCC staff members who came in around 10 p.m. to serve a “midnight breakfast” for students in our residence halls just before final exams last December.

Our student clubs and organizations are another opportunity for me to meet students. Whether it’s talking with our Student Trustee or attending a Student Congress Officers meeting, I get feedback on how we’re doing as a College and how we can improve the student experience. And when I attend an event of our Black Student Union or production of our theatre students, participate in an induction ceremony for our Phi Theta Kappa honor society or athletic awards banquet, I get to enjoy and celebrate the growth and accomplishment of our students – making all of my daily meetings worthwhile.

And whether it’s meeting students who join us on our annual safety walk at night to evaluate improvements we can make on campus for safety measures or student athletes who I’ve come to know from attending games, the size and scale of MVCC is such that I don’t get lost in that calendar of meetings. Rather, I have the good fortune to meet so many of our incredible students and learn their individual stories that stay with me throughout my days at the College. After all, our students and their stories are why we come to the College each day to do what we do on their behalf.

If you have any comments on this post, please contact me directly at presblog@mvcc.edu.

Success Behind the Scenes

During the past twelve months we have witnessed wonderful examples of teamwork, collaboration and alignment at the College. For so many different areas to accommodate the significant influx of new students in such a short time should be a real point of pride for all involved.

When I arrived at the College nearly 3 years ago, I received a great deal of input from many perspectives. One thing that stood out was the need for better communication, better alignment, and focused strategy. Experience teaches that these things cannot be willed or mandated. This kind of change requires individuals throughout the organization to make the conscious choice to engage in open dialogue, the free sharing of perspectives, and a willingness to collaborate for the benefit of the College.

While there are a number of examples from the past year, efforts in the Information Technology area come to mind as week after week, it seems, a new milestone reached. Often, in the world of IT, milestones come and go with little fanfare. Here, I want to shine a bit of “bloglight” on them.

In previous posts I’ve mentioned the significant impact “priority registration” and “waitlisting” have had on our enrollment increases. These increases have, however, been assisted through other system improvements, like online payment; online placement testing; online access to financial documents; automated phone-call reminders to students (thanks to the good work of the business office); web notifications for cancelled classes; online registration and payment for non-credit classes; and server upgrades to support self-service applications.

During the recent semester break, we expanded bandwidth access 500%! In addition, wireless access for laptops was expanded in all common areas as well as some outdoor areas.

Campus safety has also been enhanced by fully implementing the NY Alert emergency notification system and creating an online safety reporting system for our Airframe & Powerplant program. We’ve also significantly expanded the number of web-based security cameras at both campuses.

Computer labs are being upgraded at a swift pace, with the creation of two new Mac labs and increasing the number of computers for tutoring and libraries. All STEM Center labs have been upgraded this year, along with adding two new facilities. Significant upgrades have been made to computer hardware and software for students, faculty, and staff. And new computers are planned to be installed in all open student computer labs by the end of spring break. Both campuses will be completely ready for Windows 7 upgrades this summer or when that final decision is made.

While we still have many planned improvements ahead, all of this has been accomplished with effort, focused prioritization, patience and collaboration among departments. None if it could have occurred without the expertise, time, and commitment to service leadership in the Information Technology department. To each of them, and to all those who collaborated with them, your work is gratefully received and deeply appreciated. If you have any thoughts on items in this post or technology in general, please contact me at presblog@mvcc.edu.

Breaking Barriers

The Karen New Year celebration at our Utica Campus this past weekend, coupled with a meeting I attended last week, spotlights the notion of breaking barriers for me. The Karen ceremony was beautiful and to see the faces of hundreds Karen refugees was an inspirational sight – thinking of them celebrating the Karen New Year 2749 here in their new hometown. I met one Karen MVCC student who I’ve come to know and met another refugee who has already gone through our ESL track and, then, completed his Associate’s Degree in Computer Information Sciences. Watching the crowd file in from the frigid cold temperatures, it was easy to reflect on the barriers they all face with regard to everyday life – let alone engaging in college study and career planning.

Similarly, last week I joined a number of creative staff in a conversation about their experiences serving students and the most common barriers to student success at MVCC. It would be nice if all students could just go to school full-time and have no other responsibilities beyond “finding themselves.” That scenario, however, is far from the common student profile. Work, sometimes multiple jobs; child care; elder care; financial constraints; transportation; and personal history sometimes combine to make pursuing a college education nearly impossible…or so it seems.

From passing the proposed American Graduation Initiative to securing private financial support, the coming years will see us turning much of our collective energy toward breaking barriers for students (and potential students) with the most challenges. We must strive to make our campuses (Rome, Utica and Virtual) as welcoming as possible and enhance them with innovative programs and even unexpected support services that meet both normal and non-traditional needs of our students. With that kind of effort MVCC will be even more significant. Tomorrow’s students will have more success than today’s, and our community will benefit in ways we’ve only begun to explore. To paraphrase the great composer Ludwig van Beethoven, “…. Barriers are not erected which can say to aspiring talents and industry, ‘Thus far and no farther.’”

Ni ta tha’ thah pwii (Happy New Year). If you have any thoughts on barriers that need to be broken or solutions that break them, please contact me at presblog@mvcc.edu.

Springing Forward

A number of exciting events always mark the start of a new semester. Among many activities last week, I had the opportunity to welcome students at New Student Orientation; talk with staff facilitating our first-ever academic recovery program for students; and help a few students find their way to an office or classroom. One of my favorite experiences of the week though, was meeting the incoming cohort of new employees for the spring semester. By way of welcome, I found myself talking about our vision and mission statements and the five priorities of our Strategic Plan - not just reciting them, but exploring the ways in which I see them coming to life every day. In particular, our vision statement has been carrying me through much of the fast-paced activity and collective effort of late. The vision that is guiding and connecting some incredibly hard work at the College is, "to transform lives by creating an innovative learning environment that meets the rapidly changing needs of our community." Here's what's on my mind.

Meeting the Rapidly Changing Needs of Our Community

Many attributions to our current 13% enrollment this semester (on top of a 9% increase last spring!) are made to local unemployment hovering around 10%. While I'm sure that is true to an extent, I think some recent efforts by faculty and staff are fueling that increase as well. Last spring we piloted a waitlist process along with priority registration, allowing us to respond to increased demand quickly. By watching waitlists, new class sections were opened on demand (5% more total sections than last year). That change moved more than 3,000 registrations from waitlist to enrollment. In addition, more than 400 fall enrollees participated in academic recovery workshops last week to re-focus and sharpen their educational goals.

Creating an Innovative Learning Environment

Innovation is critical to long-term institutional achievement. Over the past three years, all classrooms have become Internet connected and the number of smart classrooms (presentation/projection systems, etc.) have increased by 49%, making 75% of all classrooms (and many of our academic labs) equipped with the best teaching technology available. In addition, more than 15 state-of-the-art smartboards have been installed and many faculty have been trained to use them. Our Information Technology staff has expanded the College's Internet bandwidth five-fold in time for the first day of spring semester classes! We're also having discussions about new classroom furniture and piloting some new arrangements this semester to see how the physical environment can better facilitate the innovative learning environment we're further developing at MVCC.

Transforming Lives

All together, these efforts speak to what happens at MVCC each and every day. Students from different walks of life come through our doors (physical and virtual!) to enroll in classes. Here they find both a rigorous course of study and an incredible system of support and encouragement. When engaged and completed, the overwhelming majority of our graduates transfer successfully to college or university study, or enter the 21st Century workplace fully prepared to contribute to their employers, their families and their communities!

I'm often struck by the comments I receive semester after semester. Many say, "MVCC is harder than I thought it would be." What sets us apart is our daily commitment to insure that, when they complete their course of study at MVCC, every student finds him or herself in a place very different from where they began...in short, "lives transformed."

We still have a long way to go, but as many recent changes College settle in, our collective efforts will continue to align themselves and we'll see an even greater return as we pursue this inspiring vision. If you have any thoughts, please contact me directly at presblog@mvcc.edu.

A Little Better Everyday

I believe that, as an institution, we are very good at carrying out the College's mission of promoting "student success and community involvement through a commitment to excellence and a spirit of service." To me, a commitment to excellence means that, each and every day, we challenge ourselves – individually and collectively - to serve students; to carry out our responsibilities; to work effectively with each other; to do our jobs better than we did them yesterday. Last week's employee enrichment program, the 2010 MVCC Spring Institute, is a shining example of how deeply and sincerely MVCC faculty and staff hold that commitment!

This year's Spring Institute offered two sessions of five concurrent workshops, mostly focused on the needs and interests of faculty. The sessions covered topics from curriculum and classroom management, to educational technology and teaching students with autism. More than 150 members of the MVCC family deepened their connections, attending various sessions throughout the day, including an informal lunch of pizza and wings.

Amidst all the energy and engagement, the mid-day plenary session left a particularly deep impression on me. We were so fortunate to have nationally recognized consultant and award winning teacher, Dr. Idahlynn Karre, speak on active learning strategies. She spoke in the Utica Campus Theater which, although beautifully suited for live performance, is not an ideal venue for an audience interaction/participation presentation. Despite that fact, Dr. Karre demonstrated that the principles of active learning can be dynamically employed even in a relatively fixed environment.

She referenced Harvard University research, which showed the normal adult attention span to be only about ten minutes. The study suggests that active learning requires teachers to change their method of delivery every ten minutes or so. Dr. Karre’s reference to the work of Pat Cross and Tom Angelo, with Classroom Assessment Techniques (CATs), was an important reminder as the CATs accelerated my own effectiveness in the classroom, to be sure!

Throughout her presentation, Dr. Karre emphasized the perspective that the best teaching and learning occurs when our focus moves past "just covering the information." By recognizing that talent and experience shapes individual meaning, we can help our students "bolt" new information, fresh ideas, and expansive concepts to their knowledge "infrastructures", making learning personal and, thus, relevant. That’s how we all learn. Karre referred to community colleges as the “Hopeful Enterprise” and closed with the affirmation that our students, all students, have great potential. Part of our job - as the faculty and staff who make up this wonderful institution, is to recognize it and nurture it.

At the conclusion of Dr. Karre's presentation I turned and saw a sea of talented faculty and staff, clearly energized by what she had to share. The whole experience makes me proud to work in a professional community that isn’t afraid to learn; to risk; to take the chance that - through "a commitment to excellence and a spirit of service" we can get a little better each day. If you have any thoughts on this post, please contact me directly at presblog@mvcc.edu.

One Student at a Time

Sometimes blog posts are written in my head before I begin typing. This is one of those where I couldn't type fast enough. The significance of my experience at our December Commencement program lingers. Yes, the ceremony was as nice as ever - tough to beat seeing the faces of graduates close-up walking across the stage after so much effort to complete their degrees or certificate programs. It was the reception after the ceremony, however, that caught me. We have a small reception for our December graduates and their families in the lobby of our IT/Theatre Building. I stay in my academic regalia and make my way out to congratulate a few of the graduates I've come to know and inevitably get drawn into various picture-taking opportunities with them and others. The stories I heard and the interactions I witnessed made a lasting impression. So many holiday movies speak to "the true meaning of family, etc."; well, this reception was like the end of a movie about the true meaning of community colleges!

It started for me when I spotted Janet Visalli, our Director of Adult Learning Support Services, walking over to say hello. I asked her if she was here to support some of our older graduates. She replied, in her normal, understated manner, "we have a couple here for sure...oh, here comes one right now!" At that moment Kim Maxwell walked over in her cap and gown, family and friends clapping for her as she pointed to Janet and said, "it's all because of you!" Kim went on to talk about how Janet set up a table in Kim’s company cafeteria to provide information about degree programs at MVCC to working adults. Janet was there for Kim every step of the way - through the highs and lows - and finished it off by wishing her well as she readies herself to enroll at Utica College next semester. After that story there wasn't a dry eye in the group.

As I continued through the crowd, Professor Bill Judycki pulled me aside. He's been working so hard with his colleagues to launch a new Facilities Management Program and introduced me to the first graduate, Traci Chandler, who received her Certificate. After the pictures, I asked what's next for her and Traci replied, "a few more classes in the spring and I'll see you at the May graduation for my Associate Degree!" It was great to be part of that little nugget of MV history - the first graduate in a brand new program! Significant.

I then saw a small crowd gathered around graduate Claire Hayes. Art faculty Duane Isenberg, Scott Seldon, Larry Migliori and others were with Claire and her family recounting all the special memories she made on a significant personal journey through one class after another to finish her Associate Degree in Individual Studies. The pride being experienced by everyone standing there was moving. Jane Morales' graduation was a triumph as well. Her mom traveled from New York City and I know that the Residence Life and Auxiliary Services staff at the College share in her accomplishment. I didn't get to say hello, but it was fun to watch faculty member Rosemary Fucco congratulating her armada of Administrative Assistant graduates - many of whom gave a few shouts and hollers to their families and friends as they walked across the stage earlier that evening.

And finally our student commencement speaker, Eva Maria Tobin, was inspiring. I encountered a number of people who took great pride in helping her successfully pursue a full-ride scholarship to Howard University in Washington D.C. Multiple people at the reception asked me, "where's my Eva?" as they searched through the crowd.

The power and significance of these individual stories amplified and captured the essence of what makes Mohawk Valley so special. In the end, student success occurs one student at a time. And yet, as much as we feel our counsel and guidance helps shape our students' success the reception, in so many ways, reinforced for me that our students shape our lives as well! If you have any thoughts on this post, please contact me at presblog@mvcc.edu.