June 24, 2026
The AACC Strategic Compass is being used in exciting ways: to inform new strategic plans or revamp existing ones; as a retreat tool with senior staff or in special workshops; in meetings with chambers of commerce, workforce development boards, or other external groups. As I travel to different colleges, I am learning how wide this engagement is and I am energized by the creativity it has inspired. I would appreciate knowing how you have used the Compass on your campuses so I might share these practices with other AACC members.
Congress is still at work in DC, hammering away at several topics of interest to our members. The House Appropriations Committee has passed its FY 27 funding bill for the U.S. Departments of Labor, HHS and Education. The bill rejects many of the cuts to and eliminations of key education and workforce programs proposed by the Trump Administration. Unfortunately, it fails to deliver a long-term fix to the pending Pell Grant shortfall.
The House of Representatives passed the bipartisan No Aid for Ghost Students Act this month. The bill would require the U.S. Department of Education to proactively identify potentially fraudulent FAFSA applicants, codifying the agency’s new identity student aid verification policy. The Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee may consider a similar bill over the summer.
AACC’s annual Advocates in Action event in Washington, DC, is September 15-16 and will have some terrific advocacy training for those who register.
Last week, I joined a meeting of the Virginia Community College System (VCCS) presidents and the Chancellor’s Executive Cabinet. Thank you to Reynolds Community College President Paula Pando for moderating a robust conversation. I also want to highlight Virginia’s Fast Forward: Credentials that Matter program, which has produced tens of thousands of skilled workers for Virginia, and their statewide Accelerate Opportunity 2030 strategic plan, a valuable model for aligning incentives with outcomes. Congratulations to VCCS for their recent award of a Mellon Faculty Research Initiative, which invests $1.5 million in research projects in the humanities and arts.
Alabama was also a stop on my speaking tour, with 35 community colleges presidents and chancellors joining our gathering last week, where regional ecosystems are growing. Alabama colleges are narrating their impacts in increasingly strategic ways, building awareness among business leaders and elected officials.
I’m speaking in Florida tomorrow to the National Alliance of Community and Technical Colleges gathering at Miami Dade College where I’m sure to learn more about what is happening in the field.
Building a life after incarceration requires a strong commitment to resilience. One of the highlights of my Alabama trip was learning more about J. F. Ingram State Technical College, dedicated exclusively to educating students who are currently incarcerated. Ingram’s president reached out to me after my speech, offering to share some best practices with other AACC members who might be interested in serving more students seeking a resilient pathway post incarceration. I can attest that the commencement speeches I delivered at the Clarksburg Correctional Facility in Montgomery County, Maryland, while president of Montgomery College were among the most emotional of my career.
If there is interest in this topic, please let me know.