Expanding access to higher education

I have recently been involved in an initiative with the University Center of Greenville to explore various options for the future of that center. At the heart of our discussions is how to increase access to baccalaurate and master's degrees in the Upstate. We have a number of very fine universities, public and private, in this area. I applaud the University Center's board as they continuously explore how to make higher education even more accessible.


As I think of these discussions, I think about the future role of Greenville Technical College for increasing access to baccalaurate and master's degrees because GTC is the gateway to undergraduate and graduate degrees for many residents. We know that the higher the level of education in any community, the more vibrant that community is economically. Students do gain employable skills in GTC programs. To provide an avenue for these students to continue their education is critical.


GTC has many valuable partnerships with area universities, and we continue to build upon those relationships. However, I believe more can be done to help students progress from Greenville Tech to university programs. Maybe Greenville Technical College and the universities should investigate co-location, joint advising, and sharing of faculty, labs, libraries and other physical facilities, etc. I don't know all the possibilities, but I do think we are limited only by our imaginations. What do you think?

Success & Communication

This time of year we are inundated with news of high school, college, and university commencement ceremonies. Within those stories are always examples of students who have overcome numerous life challenges to succeed. Graduates of Greenville Technical College certainly have many success stories to share. Those success stories and others like them are the impetus behind the Obama administration's effort to put more of a spotlight on community and technical colleges.

Over the past ten years, the value of two-year colleges has reached new heights, and we continue to climb. Still, there are many people who may not be completely familiar with the comprehensiveness of our mission. For example, at Greenville Tech, we provide services in technical and occupational careers as well as workforce development programs for incumbent workers or those seeking skills upgrade. Maybe less well known, we have a strong University Transfer program that attracts thousands of students each year. Graduates of our University Transfer program do very well when they move on to four-year colleges and universities.

While we at GTC may feel that our efforts to inform the community of our comprehensive services are sufficient, the real test is to ask you how the college can do a better job of communicating with you. Our services keep changing and growing, and your training and educational needs keep evolving, so your feedback is crucial to us.

Family=Success=Family

Today I attended a picnic held by Greenville Technical College Charter High School in celebration of their tenth anniversary. The picnic was designed for the whole family, not just staff of the high school.


I believe that is the reason behind the school's success - inclusion of the family in the education of the child. Since I have a junior in that school, I can attest to the fact that parental involvement is not just invited but required.


We often hear that that is what is missing in today's secondary system - family involvement. But family support is critical even in higher education, yet it takes a different form. We expect, and should develop, a sense of responsibility and accountability on the part of college students, but that doesn't mean that family support isn't crucial to the students' success.


At commencement ceremonies, I ask students to applaud their families (spouses, parents, children, etc.) for supporting their efforts to strengthen themselves and their families. In thinking about this more, maybe we have viewed the education of a child all wrong. We often say education is important for the individual, and it is, but maybe the focus should be on strengthening of the family, or future family, through individual development. That does tend to put the focus back on the family and the importance of education for each member of the family.

I am a member of a group in Greenville County with a mission to make education a priority for all in the county - to raise the level of awareness and importance. Should this group take on the challenge of refocusing education from an individualistic benefit to a family benefit? Doesn't it make sense that if you strengthen one you will strengthen the other?


What should be the role of Greenville Tech in this challenge?

Expanding Our Horizons

Last week, I had the opportunity to chair the annual meeting of the American Association of Community Colleges. The theme of the convention was Diversity: Our Vision, Our Value. There were a number of sessions focusing on understanding different cultures and what value that brings to the individual, organization, and community. This week, I am committed to speaking to a local group on a topic titled Beyond the Dream: A New Dialogue in Cross Culture Interactions. This presentation is for Beyond Differences, which is a group established to bring people, ideas, and principles together and to look beyond differences and find commonalities in creating an inclusive community.


For a number of years in this country there has been a focus on the value of diversity. Now, we seem to be taking another step, and that is to recognize the differences and commonalities that exist within and between various ethnic groups and cultures. Most importantly, the AACC convention and my speech will focus on understanding the "added-value" of differences and commonalities. Too often in society we might recognize differences but do not fully appreciate the fact that these differences are not just to be tolerated but add value.


Several weeks ago, I had the opportunity to provide opening remarks to a group of GTC international students and their local hosts on the value of international relations, education, and exchanges. I commented that international students are always very thankful for the opportunity to study at GTC. Why is that? It is because they see different aspects of our culture, learn from it, and take that back to their home countries. It does not mean they agree with everything in our culture, but that they recognize the differences and understand that their personal lives have been enhanced because of the exposure to these differences. I believe these students also understand that diversity in a global sense can be defined as the uniqueness of not only different groups but differences within a specific group such as varying ideas and perspectives.


Look at it this way - any successful organization today embraces an environment which respects and builds upon a diversity of ideas and approaches to the mission of that organization. The pursuit of this goal is appropriately continuous, and that is how we improve. It is these same organizations that are also readily characterized as innovative.


As the AACC convention's closing speaker, CNN anchor Soledad O'Brien, stated, the answer to "understanding is to keep pushing." I welcome your ideas on pushing forward with this issue.

I had a discussion with a representative from industry today about "life after a slow economy." It was clear to both of us that there is life afterward. Actually, what is abundantly clear is that we prepare now for the "afterlife." The conversation was invigorating because while there was reference to the difficulties that we all face in the present time, the conversation did not dwell on these negatives. I guess that belief in the future rather than hanging onto the past or challenges of the present is something that has always characterized Americans, and the reason for our success.

I recall a portion of a quote that I read some years ago from an anonymous writer that goes something like this: "'The future is not a place we are going to but rather a place to be created first in mind, next in will, then in action." Don't hold me to the exact accuracy of this but the concept is exactly the same, and that is the idea that we can create our own future. And that cannot happen by dwelling on the past or challenges of the present.

Each of us is a leader in some respect in our community. What role should you and I play to make sure our communities "keep an eye on the future" rather than become absorbed in the past or present? We all know individuals who blame their circumstances on everyone and everything but their own inaction. On the other hand, we know people who've risen above the toughest circumstances with positive thinking and forward motion.

I am concerned that the younger generation has not fully grasped the importance of strong communities and that we must do more through each organization to enhance that focus. You know many colleges are starting to require community service as a requirement for receiving scholarships, and I think that is a step in the right direction. Young people are the future, and through community service, they can have a hand in impacting their own lives and those of others.

What do you think? What can we as individuals or groups of individuals do to strengthen our communities? How can we impact others by focusing on creating a better future today?

The Upstate's Entrepreneurial Spirit

I have been in Greenville and at Greenville Tech for almost nine months, and what impresses me most about the community and the College is the strength of the initiative to thrive and grow, even in the slow economy and in the face of difficult times. Then last week I was visiting with a group of business men and women who truly are considered to be successful entrepreneurs. One of them made a comment that I continue to think about and which, I believe, is responsible for the "strength of the initiative to thrive and grow." A gentleman said, "The Upstate has always had a strong sense of entrepreneurism, and that is the reason for our success. However, I am concerned that we are losing our spirit of entrepreneurism, or that it is decreasing at the very least."

I don't know if you can measure a "spirit of entrepreneurism," but I think we see the evidence of it thriving, and to lose it would certainly be detrimental to a community. So, the question is, how do we strengthen this spirit? What role can GTC play? I guess we could point to a number of activities that might accomplish the task. However, I believe that entrepreneurism is a belief, a way of thinking, and that's why this task of strengthening seems to be elusive. Maybe this goes as far back as Abraham Lincoln when he said, "Your own desire to succeed is more important than any one thing." Once again, a belief or gut feeling fuels your desire to be successful.

I don't have the answer, but there is one. Perhaps the answer is to continue to believe. Believe that we will make it through a tough time. Believe that we live in a community that invites us to do our best. Success exists in each of us if we believe.

I would welcome your comments on the entrepreneurial spirit in the Upstate and how Greenville Technical College might contribute to keeping it strong. That's why we're here.