To My New Colleagues at CCAC:

As I begin my tenure as president of the college, I can envision no better way to make the transition in leadership than to begin with a baseline established by a Middle States self-study. The theme chosen for this study, “Exploring the Past – Shaping the Future”, reflects my own personal commitment to build on the College’s solid foundation in order to strive for excellence.

The Middle States chairs and Steering committee have worked diligently to create a design that enables the study to flow smoothly. Particularly encouraging to me is the overwhelming willingness of faculty to serve. This reflects a true collaborative spirit that bodes well for our future. Additionally, this response has the very practical benefit of making the work of self-study manageable for everyone involved.

I urge you to consider this process as a means to re-examine our mission, define our strategic direction, and propose an action plan in clear operating objectives, assign accountability for delivery of material results, and set CCAC on a trajectory toward becoming a model for excellence among our nation’s best community colleges.  As we go through the process, we should honestly reflect upon what has worked well and build on that platform.  We also need to identify areas where we need to improve and seek the means to support those improvements.  I hope this study will serve as an occasion to foster an internal environment of excellence among our faculty, administration and students.

This is a wonderful opportunity to apply our best creative thinking and to make CCAC an even more valued partner in our regional economy.  I commit to support the final plan that we all agree upon and to be held accountable for the results that we collectively pledge to achieve.