Belmont College VP Graduates Ohio Leadership Academy for Student Success
ST. CLAIRSVILLE – Belmont College is pleased to announce that Dr. Carrie White, Vice President of Academic Affairs/CAO graduated as a fellow of the newest class of the Ohio Leadership Academy for Student Success.
The academy, sponsored by the Ohio Association of Community Colleges, annually gathers mid-level faculty and staff for a year of training, exchanging ideas, and immersion in how to promote student success.
The OACC created the academy in 2019 to reverse management turnover by strengthening internal advancement pipelines within the state’s 22 community colleges. Michigan, New York, and Texas are among states that have replicated Ohio’s initiative.
The academy is an extension of work done by the OACC’s Success Center for Community Colleges. Created in 2012, the center focuses on helping Ohio’s two-year colleges marshal resources to better direct students’ education by aligning their academic choices with the careers they hope to undertake.
The president of each of Ohio’s community colleges nominated up to three employees as fellows. Over the next year, the fellows met in person six times and worked on group projects between sessions. The forums, with a special focus on Ohio educational models, included aspects of a presidential leadership curriculum provided by the Washington, D.C.-based Aspen Institute, one of the program’s backers.
Several national organizations funded the academy, ensuring that colleges had minimal expenses to participate.
“It’s an honor to congratulate the newest graduates of the Ohio Leadership Academy for Student Success,” said Dr. Paul F. Gasparro, President. “Creating a seamless education experience that places student success at its core is our top priority, and Dr. White will help us continue to achieve that goal.”
Mentoring and supporting talented higher education administrators is vital at a time when their institutions shoulder an ever-increasing responsibility for graduating workforce-ready employees in fields such as teaching, business, information technology, and healthcare and nursing, said Laura Rittner, Vice President of Operations and Student Success at the OACC.
By bringing together educators with different higher ed roles, the Leadership Academy permits a deeper understanding of how parts of each school mesh to create student success models, Rittner said.
“It’s crucial that students excel in their academic journey, and the new fellows have learned how to implement transformational changes in their colleges to make that happen,” she said.
“Improving student success means supporting college leaders at all levels of higher education institutions,” Rittner added. “The OACC leadership academy is an example of a venture that supports and nurtures these leaders in the name of helping students reach their full potential.”
The focus on student success is more important than ever as Ohio experiences an influx of jobs in the semiconductor, solar panel, electric vehicle battery, and cloud storage sectors.
The Ohio Association of Community Colleges (OACC) represents the presidents and trustees of Ohio’s 22 public two-year institutions, advancing community colleges through policy, advocacy, professional development, and strategic leadership. Serving nearly 250,000 Ohioans annually, community colleges connect students to in-demand careers and are the top workforce partner for Ohio employers with more than 1,000 employer partnerships.
(Belmont College Press Release)
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