Arkansas Community Colleges Connections

July 22, 2024

Message from your Executive Director

ACC Colleagues,

As we hit mid-summer I hope you are all getting some time off and finding ways to rejuvenate before fall term starts next month.

As you know, I love looking at data and what it says about our institutions. I was recently struck by a Gallup poll measuring public perception of higher education. The number of adults who say they have little or no confidence in higher education is increasing. As a result, Americans are now nearly equally divided between those who have a great deal or quite a lot of confidence (36%), those with some confidence (32%), and those with little or no confidence (32%) in higher education. When Gallup first measured confidence in higher education in 2015, 57% of respondents had a great deal or quite a lot of confidence, and only 10% of respondents had little or no confidence. The good news for us is that Americans' perception of community colleges is much better - nearly half of Americans (48%) say they have a great deal or quite a lot of confidence in community colleges.

Enjoy the rest of your summer!

Sincerely,

Andrea Henderson

Executive Director

NATIONAL NEWS

The Supreme Court Just Weakened Federal Agencies. Here's What it Means for Higher Ed.

The U.S. Supreme Court recently overturned a 40-year-old doctrine requiring judges to defer to agencies in making "reasonable" interpretations of "ambiguous" federal laws. The ruling significantly weakens the executive branch's power to effect policy and make rules, including those governing higher education.

Student Voice Survey: The Academic Experience

Inside Higher Ed and Generation Lab recently released their annual Student Voice survey. In the survey, students rate their education quality and provide ways institutions can improve the academic experience. Notably, 30% of community college students rated their education quality as "excellent" versus only 25% of university students.

ACC NEWS

2024 ACC Conference: Registration is Open

Registration for the 2024 ACC Conference is LIVE! Join us as we explore The Next Chapter in higher education October 13-15, 2024. Here are just a few highlights:

Tom Bordenkircher, Vice President of Accreditation Relations at the Higher Learning Commission, will join us for a special pre-session to discuss updates in HLC criteria and the accreditation process.
Teams will compete in Time Warp Trivia for a chance to win a $500 scholarship for their Academic All-Star.
2024 Academic All-Stars will be recognized at lunch on Monday, October 14, at 12 p.m. 2024 Outstanding Faculty and Staff will be recognized at brunch on Tuesday, October 15, at 10 a.m.

Check out the conference website for more details including a full list of sessions and networking/entertainment opportunities.

SPOTLIGHT

ASUMH Appoints Vice Chancellors and Deans

Waynna Dockins, Vice Chancellor for Finance and Administration.

Christy Keirn, Vice Chancellor for Institutional Advancement.

Stephanie Beaver, Dean of Students.

Dr. Robert Shurley, Dean of Business, Arts and Sciences.

Karen Heslep, Dean of Technology and Health Sciences.

Congratulations to all of the new Vice Chancellors and Deans at Arkansas State University Mountain Home (ASUMH).

UACCB Selects Becky Warren as Dean of Career and Workforce Education

Becky Warren has been named the Dean of Career and Workforce Education at the University of Arkansas Community College at Batesville (UACCB). Congratulations, Becky!

Ford Selected as New Vice Chancellor for Finance and Administration at UAHT

The University of Arkansas Hope-Texarkana (UAHT) has named Sherri Ford as the Vice Chancellor for Finance and Administration. Congratulations, Sherri!

Looking for a job at an Arkansas community college?

Check out our ACC Jobs Facebook page.

To post a job, please email a link to Collin at ccallaway@arkansascc.org.