American Association of Community Colleges News
New AACC Board Chair: Community Colleges Must Drive Agenda
Former Illinois leader assumes new national, state roles
WASHINGTON, July 2 PRNewswire-USNewswire — With national elections and a new administration just months away and the nation and most states in the economic doldrums, the new board chair for the American Association of Community Colleges (AACC) plans to make strengthening ties to policy and business leaders a key focus of his new leadership position.
In July, Dr. Keith Miller (50) assumes two new leadership roles that will provide a forum for his efforts. He becomes chair of the board of directors for AACC, the leading advocacy organization for the nation's almost 1,200 community colleges and their 11.5 million students. And he becomes only the second president of Greenville Technical College (S.C.), the state's largest community/technical college.
For AACC, Miller will lead a 31-member board comprising 25 college CEOs, three at-large members and three public members. He will serve a one-year term as chair, from July 1, 2008, until June 30, 2009. He succeeds Dr. Ding-Jo Currie, president of Coastline Community College (Calif.).
Miller believes that community colleges must continue the shift from a largely reactive mode to a more proactive stance, particularly with the new administration that will be elected in November.
"We have begun to build stronger relationships and visibility through our community college caucuses in both House and Senate, but we really must begin to 'drive' legislation that asserts the tremendous value our colleges represent to the nation," Miller states. "The advent of a new administration represents a rare opportunity, with both major candidates already having identified community colleges as a practical solution to workforce shortages and other challenges."
In tandem with his national role, Miller moves to a new presidency in a state well-known for strong ties between academe and business. He hopes to continue the focus he began at Black Hawk College (Illinois), where he previously served as president. During his eight years at the helm of the northern Illinois community college, he spearheaded the integration of new technologies into institutional business and instructional processes; expanded services to business and industry, through a small business development center, an international trade center, a procurement technical assistance center, and customized training; and expanded online delivery, instituting a full associate degree delivered online.
A graduate of Hutchinson Community College (Kan.) in radiologic technology, Miller later pursued graduate studies in special radiographic procedures and computerized axial tomography at the University of Virginia. He earned a bachelor's degree in biology at the University of Kansas, a master's degree at Pittsburg State University-Kansas and a Ph.D. in adult and continuing education from Kansas State University. After several years as a radiology instructor at both four-year and two-year colleges in Kansas, he segued into administration at Labette Community College (Kan.) and Montcalm Community College (Mich.) and served as president of Spoon River Community College (Ill.) from 1996 to 2000, before becoming president of Black Hawk College.
Among numerous state and regional appointments, Miller served on the Illinois Community College Board Baccalaureate Access Task Force, the Governor's Legislative Task Force on Dual Enrollment, and as President of the Illinois Community College Presidents Council.
The American Association of Community Colleges is a national organization based in Washington, D.C., and representing close to 1,200 community, junior and technical colleges nationwide. Community colleges are the largest and fastest growing sector of higher education, enrolling more than 11 million credit and noncredit students each year.
SOURCE American Association of Community Colleges
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