Two Tyler Junior College administrators have been named to the Texas Success Center’s Texas Leadership Academy for Student Success.
Dr. Lee Grimes, TJC associate vice provost for academic affairs, and Dr. Tim Drain, TJC associate vice provost for student affairs, will join 21 other faculty and staff members from 12 Texas community colleges in the academy’s second cohort.
This leadership development program is designed to provide mid-level community college faculty and staff with the critical skills and knowledge to improve student outcomes.
“We congratulate Dr. Grimes and Dr. Drain on their selection to this year-long leadership program,” said Dr. Deana Sheppard, TJC provost and vice president for academic and student affairs. “They will represent TJC well, and we know that the knowledge they gain from this experience will have a positive impact on our institution.”
Nationally, community colleges often struggle to attract and retain the talented leaders they need to implement evidence-based reforms that help more students succeed. This project, which is made possible by generous funding from the Ascendium Education Group, the ECMC Foundation, and the Kresge Foundation, aims to address this challenge by strengthening the pipeline of leaders within colleges.
"The Texas Leadership Academy is a crucial investment in the future of Texas as it prepares community college leaders with the tools and knowledge they need to enhance student success and support workforce development across the state," said Dr. Cynthia Ferrell, Executive Director of the Texas Success Center. "We appreciate the philanthropic support from our education partners at Ascendium, ECMC and the Kresge Foundation for developing a program that will pay dividends for generations to come.”
The National Center for Inquiry & Improvement is leading this project with colleagues at the Aspen College Excellence Program and the Success Center for Ohio’s Community Colleges.
The curriculum for this project draws on Aspen’s Curriculum for Community College Excellence and includes the following content sessions:
• The Essential Roles of Leadership in Student Success
• Keeping Students’ End Goals in Mind
• The Student Experience
• Leadership Traits to Drive Change
• Managing and Advancing Institutional Change
• Effective External Partnerships & the Leadership Journey
“Many community colleges are working to improve student success, but one of the most common disruptions to their reform efforts is the transition of critical staff members with no one ready to replace them,” said Chris Baldwin, Senior Fellow at the National Center for Inquiry & Improvement. “The Leadership Academy for Student Success is designed to help colleges build a bench of mid-level employees who are adequately prepared to step into vacated leadership roles.”
About the Texas Success Center
The Texas Success Center supports Texas community colleges in their efforts to improve student success and direct Texas Pathways —a statewide strategy focused on building capacity for community colleges to design and implement structured academic and career pathways at scale, for all students.