By DeRionne Pollard Preparing 10 million students for professional success has long been the goal of community colleges in the U.S. In recent years these institutions have made great progress in communicating with industries about the skills most needed in the workforce. As our nation builds a more robust talent pipeline, another valuable opportunity arises: […]
Community Colleges Need to Master the Art of Storytelling
by DeRionne Pollard In my decades as a community college president, I have learned several languages by necessity: academic parlance about credit and noncredit; industry dialects around apprenticeships; and workforce vernacular around experiential learning and career laddering. Unfortunately, none of these languages captures the most critical stories about community colleges’ impact on our national workforce. Those […]
Partnerships that Propel: Expanding Strategic Alliances
For Immediate Release Contact: Martha M. Parham, Ed.D. Cell: 714-932-3694 mparham@aacc.nche.edu Partnerships that Propel: Expanding Strategic Alliances by DeRionne P. Pollard, PhD Accelerating workforce development has become increasingly urgent in our current climate. It touches almost all parts of economic discussions today — from the cost of living and gross domestic product to trade and […]
Community Colleges: Workforce Engines of the Future
For Immediate Release For Release on October 1, 2025 Contact: Martha M. Parham, Ed.D. Cell: 714-932-3694 mparham@aacc.nche.edu Community Colleges: Workforce Engines of the Future Authored by: DeRionne P. Pollard, Ph.D., President and CEO, American Association of Community Colleges Washington, D.C. – In a week when a government shutdown dominates headlines and political polarization seems irreparable, one […]