BTC President and MW Lead Counselor Invited to National Discussion about Community College

Debbie Goodall, president of MCC-BTC and Barbara Cooke, lead counselor MCC-Maple Woods, will be part of a national discussion today in Indianapolis on how community colleges work with business and industry to educate students and provide a highly skilled workforce.

Goodall and Cooke are part of a group of leaders in education, philanthropy, business, and labor that was gathered by Martha Kanter, U.S. Department of Education Under Secretary for Postsecondary Education Initiatives. The summit on March 23 at Ivy Tech Community College in Indianapolis is one of four regional summits aimed at significantly increasing the number of college graduates prepared for the twenty-first century workforce, with the ultimate goal of meeting President Obama’s challenge to have the highest proportion of college graduates in the world by 2020.

The group will develop recommendations on ways industry-education partnerships can help students get high-quality credentials from community colleges. The recommendations will be presented at a national virtual symposium in April.

Joining Goodall and Cooke at the summit will be other Missouri community college leaders; representatives from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, the Lumina Foundation, the Kresge Foundation, the National Science Foundation; and experts in workforce and economic development.

Goodall and Cooke were nomitated to participate in the summit by the Missouri Community College Association (MCCA).

Community college champion Talboy honored

Among the honors presented at last week's Missouri Community College Association convention was an award given to a local champion of education who is a long-time friend of MCC, Representative Mike Talboy.

The Distinguished Legislator Award recognizes Rep. Talboy's support for community colleges in Missouri, especially in and around District 37, the Kansas City-area district that the two-term Democrat represents.

“Representative Talboy has consistently demonstrated his genuine interest in supporting Missouri’s community colleges and the students who attend them,” said Zora Mulligan, MCCA executive director. “We are looking forward to continuing to work with him in the upcoming legislative session."

Talboy, who accepted his award in St. Louis on Friday, told the crowd of community college trustees, administrators, faculty, staff, and students that he grew up in a household of strong education supporters. His Colombian-born grandfather earned a college degree at the age of 75, his grandmother worked as a high school teacher for 17 years and his brother currently works as a literature teacher in Mexico. “If I don’t support education, I think it would be hard for me to show up at home for Thanksgiving,” he said.

Talboy, who has lived in Kansas City since 1993, earned a juris doctorate from UMKC School of Law and has served as the 37th district's Missouri state representative since 2006. He has supported a number of initiatives that benefit MCC and other local and regional educational institutions.

MCCA is an umbrella organization that serves the state’s 12 community colleges through provision of professional development and training and coordination of lobbying efforts in Jefferson City.

Message from MCCA Director, Zora Mulligan

The final program for the 46th Annual MCCA Convention is now available. I'd like to point out a few changes:

First, our Opening Session will begin at 7 p.m. on Wednesday, Nov. 3. This earlier start time is to accommodate Governor Nixon's schedule.

Second, the Great Teachers Alumni Breakfast will not be held this year.

Finally, I'm excited to announce that our OTC tech friends are setting up a Twitter feed to cover the convention. Follow us at #MCCA or @MCCATweet.

I look forward to seeing you at the convention!

Zora MulliganExecutive Director

MCCA Convention info

The 46th Annual MCCA Convention will be held in St. Louis, Mo. on Nov. 3-5. This is just a week away.

Visit the 2010 program for hotel/plaza maps, members and a detailed list of all the sessions.

To see MCC's position of support for MCCA, view the Chancellor's message here.

MCC-Penn Valley student recognized for outstanding leadership

Sereptia Evans gives her all in classes, at work and in the various offices she holds at MCC-Penn Valley. Evans is president of the Student Ambassadors. Recently she found out her hard work was appreciated and that she will be honored as an Oustanding Student Leader awarded by the Missouri Community College Association. Evans will receive the honor at the MCCA convention on Nov. 5 in St. Louis.

Support MCCA - sign up today!

It’s not too late to sign up to have Missouri Community College Association (MCCA) dues deducted from your paycheck. The deduction is $6 per month during the months of October through February. Payroll deduction forms are due in payroll no later than Sept. 24.

These are extraordinary times in Jefferson City in terms of the discussions and pending decisions impacting higher education in Missouri. MCCA has provided a strong and reasoned voice in providing critical input regarding legislative decisions that directly impact higher education in Missouri.

For more information, contact your membership representative as follows:
AC/BP/FS – Darlene Burkhart
BTC – Sherry Skinner
BR – Kathleen Henrikson;
LV – Margaret Berter
MW – Kim Sides-Steiger
PV/PI/HSI – Brian Chasteen

If you were on payroll deduction last year you do NOT need to fill out a new membership form this year. Payroll deductions continue each year until a written request to cancel is sent to the payroll department.

Message from the Chancellor

Dear Colleagues,

These are extraordinary times in Jefferson City in terms of the discussions and pending decisions impacting higher education in Missouri. The Missouri Community College Association (MCCA) has provided a strong and reasoned voice in providing critical input regarding legislative decisions that directly impact higher education in Missouri.

The presidents and chancellors of Missouri’s community colleges have united as one voice through MCCA aggressively promoting our sector of higher education. MCCA has hired Zora Mulligan as its new Executive Director. Zora is a well-known and well-respected former senior policy advisor to the Commissioner of Higher Education. MCCA has never played a more important role in promoting our interests and defining our future. So what has this got to do with you?

As a professional association, memberships are the life blood of MCCA and membership numbers have declined. I have heard some MCC employees have dropped because there is a perception that they are not supported in going to the annual conference or serving on MCCA committees. I will work with the Officer Group and shared governance leaders to maximize such opportunities to the extent our budget will allow.

MCCA membership is a personal choice and the cost is $30 per year. My intent is to inform -- not twist arms. Please visit MCCA’s website at http://www.mccatoday.com/, or contact your membership representative as follows: AC/BP/FS – Darlene Burkhart; BTC – Sherry Skinner; BR – Kathleen Henrikson; LV – Margaret Berter; MW – Kim Sides-Steiger; and PV/PI/HSI – Brian Chasteen.

Best regards,
Mark