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2009 Connections Conference

The Division of Community Colleges, through the Achieving the Dream initiative, presents Connections.

Community colleges in Florida and across the nation have been gateways to greater opportunity and catalysts for economic development for over 100 years. These institutions have a rich tradition of opening doors to the workplace and continued education through applied certificate programs, career/technical training, and the transfer function of Associates degrees. Continuing our history of responsiveness, some of our colleges in Florida and several other states are now also being authorized to deliver the baccalaureate degree. Time after time, community colleges have served their local and regional community needs by continually adapting to changing economic demands and educational landscapes.

Florida’s 28 community colleges play an integral role in educating the state’s population and consistently carry out their missions with excellence and success. Nearly half of Florida’s community colleges rank in the nation’s top 100 (based on the number of associate degrees awarded) and four schools are among the top 10 in the nation. In 2006-07, 796,932 students enrolled and 33,836 earned Associate in Arts (A.A.) degrees; 11,403 students earned Associate in Science (A.S.) degrees. In the same year, 20,613 students were successful in earning vocational and college credit certificates. Additionally, 26,015 community college A.A. graduates continued their education by transferring into a baccalaureate degree program in the state university system or the Florida College System. With respect to career and technical training, 81 percent of community college completers in workforce programs are in high-wage, high-skill programs that align with Workforce Florida’s Targeted Occupations List. Nearly 73 percent of first responders (police, fire, emergency medical technicians, etc.) graduate from community college programs while 60 percent of nursing degrees in Florida are produced in community colleges. These examples stand as a testament of the unwavering commitment community colleges in Florida have towards fostering student success.

The 2009 Connections Conference is aptly themed “Opening Doors to Student Success.” There is no doubt that the American community college has democratized higher education by providing an affordable and high-quality education option to a wide array of individuals. The longstanding work of the community college continues to open doors to student success and ultimately, to greater opportunities. This conference serves as a platform for faculty, staff, administrators, and students to contribute to conversations about strategies for helping students achieve success in reaching their goals and realizing their dreams.

Keynote Speaker

Barbara K. Townsend, Ed.D.

Dr. Townsend is a Professor of Higher Education and Director of the Center for Community College Research in the College of Education at the University of Missouri-Columbia. A former community college faculty member and administrator, Dr. Townsend has also worked at Towson State University in Maryland, SUNY Buffalo, Loyola University Chicago, and University of Memphis, before coming to University of Missouri-Columbia (MU) in 1999. Her administrative positions include serving as an Associate Dean at Loyola University Chicago, a department chair at the University of Memphis, and Associate Dean of Research and Development in the College of Education at MU.

Her research agenda is driven by an interest in baccalaureate attainment, particularly for women and minorities. Much of her research has focused on the community college as a major vehicle for facilitating this attainment, including through the community college baccalaureate degree. She has authored or edited twelve books and monographs and over 60 chapters and articles on such topics as institutional distinctiveness, women in higher education, two-year colleges for women and minorities, and community college transfer and policies issues. She was recently elected as President of the Association for the Study of Community Colleges, with her term to be November 2009-November 2010 and also served as President of the Council for the Study of Community Colleges during 1999-2000.

Guest Speaker

Beverly Bower, Ph.D.

Dr. Bower is Professor of Higher Education, Don A. Buchholz Endowed Chair, and Director of the Bill J. Priest Center for Community College Education at the University of North Texas. Dr. Bower’s experience as a former community college administrator and her belief that community colleges are the “dream keepers” for an increasing number of higher education constituencies has led her to focus much of her research on the experiences of women and minorities in community colleges as well as on the delivery of distance learning technologies. She has held faculty and administrative positions at the University of South Carolina and Florida State University prior to her arrival at the University of North Texas in August 2008. Dr. Bower has authored numerous books, book chapters, and policy reports. Her work has been appeared in publications such as New Directions for Community Colleges and the Community College Review. Dr. Bower’s actively serves a number of professional organizations such as the Association for the Study of Higher Education and the American Educational Research Association, Division J (Postsecondary Education). She is also the 2008 President-elect for the Council for the Study of Community Colleges, an affiliate of the American Association of Community Colleges.

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