Speaking to faculty and staff during Convocation 2017, (Thursday 8/31/2017) the first official day back on campus for faculty as the new academic year begins, Cape Cod Community College President John Cox repeatedly emphasized “collaboration and orienting the College as the regional higher education institution” for CCCC. In a highly competitive higher education marketplace, with fiscal challenges that will always be present, the private-public, public-public, and multi-partnerships likely will be the way forward for Cape Cod Community College.
President Cox pointed to the newly completed $3.7 million Nursing and Allied Health programs expansion, and brand new teaching facility, as a perfect example. This project included million dollar private contributions from Cape Cod Healthcare and a private donor, along with other donations and input from the state’s Division of Capital Assets Management and Maintenance, plus faculty and staff input and effort – all combining to make a dramatic advancement in Nursing and Allied Healthcare education, and ultimately, highly educated and trained workers for the region’s workforce.
While this was one example, the President also pointed to new initiatives in Aviation Maintenance Technology, Corrections, Cybersecurity/Penetration Testing, Allied Health programs, where collaborations of many kinds are making a major contribution to CCCC’s students success, and he added that more were likely among the members of CONNECT, the public higher education consortium in Southeastern Massachusetts.
President Cox delivered his remarks in front of a large screen on which the College’s Mission Statement (shown below) was displayed. He opened his remarks by quoting an excerpt from the College’s Mission Statement that says, in part, “Student success is the first priority at Cape Cod Community College.”
He noted that all of these efforts at collaboration and cooperation, while they advanced the institution forward, most importantly they provided expanding opportunities for the students who attend, as we look forward to the start of classes on September, 5, 2017.
The President ended his remarks by asking the College community to remember the power of civility in challenging times, saying:
“When considering this vision of collaboration as the regional higher education institution that we are, let’s continue to embrace civility, particularly across the broad spectrum of dialogues we may encounter. We live in a volatile world, whether the political climate, missles being fired across neighboring countries, or offers to help our community colleges in Texas who find themselves underwater. Let’s be mindful of our General Education requirement and our commitment to two institutional student learning outcomes, 1) ethical and civic engagement practices, and 2) multicultural and global awareness. As the regional higher education institution, we have committed to champion these outcomes going forward and we need to now, more than ever.”
Cape Cod Community College’s Mission Statement:
“Student success is the first priority at Cape Cod Community College. As a teaching and learning community, we provide opportunities and pathways that encourage students to achieve their goals. We enrich our unique region through our work, partnerships and students’ achievements.”
