Wayne Community College students back today for opening of fall session
By Phyllis Moore
Published in News on August 18, 2008 1:36 PM
With her first full year behind her as president of Wayne Community College and a new academic year beginning today, Dr. Kay Albertson says her ongoing theme remains centered around knowing the community well and working to provide services and products to keep it thriving.
News-Argus/Greg Sousa
Christina Skowronski looks through the syllabus for Joanne Taylor’s Humanities class on the first day of classes at Wayne Community College this morning. The college expects enrollment to increase this term, describing pre-registration as “strong.”
And on the heels of Friday's State Board of Community Colleges vote to remain closed to illegal immigrants until further review, the WCC president intends to stay focused on the college's biggest asset.
"Real estate agents always say, 'Location, location, location. I always say that in this academic business we're in, it's people, people, people," she said.
Established partnerships keep the college moving in the right direction, she says -- Wayne County Public Schools, economic development alliances, Seymour Johnson Air Force, just to name a few.
While the college aims to train students to be job-ready for the workforce, area businesses assist by providing opportunities for them to gain experience, Dr. Albertson said.
"We have such good relationships," she said. "The continuation of that, I think, is certainly important and because we have so many new employees, you often have to think about that."
With an estimated 300 full-time employees and about 600 part-time, the president said she tries to instill not only a feeling of comraderie but of being supported. To that end, several initiatives will be introduced at the college this year.
"The new focus for 2008-09, one is for our commitment to a healthy and safe learning environment," Dr. Albertson said. "We're also looking at a tobacco-free policy, which we expect to have approved by our board at its September meeting.
"We'll be doing a marketing and education program and cessation programs, then in January will go tobacco-less as many agencies, such as Wayne Memorial Hospital, are."
Employees will also be encouraged to commit to one activity that will benefit their health -- be it mental, spiritual or physical, Dr. Albertson said.
"It's important for our employees to feel good taking a new challenge," she explained. "I think it's an example. We're a model, we need to have a model for all the businesses we're preparing our students for, but we also need to be a role model for students."
Another concept, introduced in June, is a year-long "grow your own" leadership institute. Twenty-two employees are currently participating, Dr. Albertson said, "looking at issues that face the academic works in the 21st century."
That program is especially near and dear to the administrator's heart.
"I do miss teaching," she said. "The leadership institute has given me another opportunity to teach and to share."
The college will also continue to build on the traditional trademarks that have kept it in business more than a half a century.
Exact enrollment figures for the fall are not in, since classes just started today, but pre-registration was very strong, officials said, and another enrollment for other sites is coming up in October.
Maintaining a safe campus is also on the forefront, Dr. Albertson said.
In addition to implementing an emergency response plan, lockdown exercises have been held to ensure staff preparedness, with ID badges introduced across the campus for easier identification of employees.
"It's a small step but it shows all the pieces to the larger plan," Dr. Albertson said.
As for the issue of undocumented immigrants, like its 57 counterparts across the state, WCC will uphold the state's decision.
At the same time, Dr. Albertson said, Wayne Community will continue to serve its English-as-a-second-language and occupational extension courses, both of which are non-credit.
"We have actually never admitted a student, an undocumented immigrant, in any of our programs because they would have to pay out of state (rates)," Dr. Albertson said.
She says one of the "great debates" for the state board now will center around the community college's philosophy of its open door admissions policy.
"They may go back and have to redefine what open door means, what our founders of the system believed," she said.