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 David
Rutledge is the Immediate Past Chair of the Association of Community College
Trustees, and a member of the ACCT’s Board of Directors.
The ACCT is a nonprofit educational organization of governing boards
for community, technical and junior colleges. The membership includes
over 6,500 trustees for colleges in the U.S., Canada and the United Kingdom.
Mr. Rutledge responded to the following six questions on the rapidly
evolving global conditions impacting the governance and operations of
member colleges and the role of CareerFocus magazine in addressing college
needs.
Reaching the Underserved
One of the missions of the community college is reaching out to underserved
segments of the population. What message do you think needs to be communicated
to those who may have difficulty in seeing themselves as college students?
What role does a publication like CareerFocus play in speaking to those
who are perhaps in greatest need of a college’s services?
Working Together
One of the basic features of CareerFocus is the concept of a consortium
of community colleges sharing resources to their mutual advantage. In
your position as Immediate Past Chair of the ACCT and a member of its
Board of Directors, how do you feel this speaks to the basic mission of
the ACCT and the community college movement in general? What role do you
think this type of collaborative effort plays in advancing the common
interests of both colleges and communities?
Workforce Development
It’s estimated that 80% of the population will make one or more major
career changes in the course of their working life. Community colleges
are challenged with the mandate of meeting much of the related training
needs. What role does effective communication, like CareerFocus, play
in maximizing enrollment in targeted program areas? How does this benefit
the college and how does this benefit the community?
Educational Identity
Because of the Internet and online learning, community colleges that have
assumed that they are the only game in town may find themselves losing
out for market share to schools located half-way across the country or
in their own regions. What role do you think a publication like CareerFocus
plays in building the educational identity of the local community college
among an area’s residents?
Telling Your Story
Community colleges often are considered the poor cousins to four-year
universities. What role does a publication like CareerFocus play in overcoming
previous myths and misconceptions that many people may retain concerning
a community college education?
Funding Support
Dealing with restricted financial circumstances has become a permanent
challenge for most community colleges. Under conditions where governments
at all levels are challenged to meet escalating demands on their resources
what role do publications like CareerFocus play in insuring that the political
will for continued public support will be there?
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Six
Questions for David Rutledge