DCCL 10th Anniversary

In June 2010, Cohort One of the Doctorate in Community College Leadership (DCCL) program arrived on the Big Rapids campus to begin what has become an amazing journey for many. Twenty-seven students from across Michigan began that year, which was reflective of the pent-up demand for a program expressly tailored for community college leaders.

From its inception, this program was designed to be different in its delivery, its completion rates, its faculty, and its relevance. Ours was among the first to incorporate many of the key features of blended delivery, application orientation, and dissertation options, among other innovations. DCCL was championed by two giants in the community college leadership world, Drs Robert Ewigleben and J. William Wenrich, and aided by the capable and energetic Lynne Ewigleben Hernandez. Both Drs Ewigleben and Wenrich were former presidents of Ferris State University, as well as of colleges in California and Texas, where Dr Wenrich was chancellor of the Dallas Community College District at the time the program began. We regret that neither pioneer is with us to celebrate our success, but both lived to see the early achievements of DCCL graduates and the impact the program was making on the community colleges of America.

These numbers reflect vital statistics in DCCL’s evolution:

• Twenty-one of the first cohort successfully completed the program.
• Cohort Two has achieved 100% completion through the dissertation, and other cohorts are expected to make this target.
• Through May 2023, 275 have completed the program.
• An additional 122 are currently enrolled.
• By 2025, there will be more than 300 graduates of the program, which is sure to create a “tipping point” in the program’s influence in America.
• DCCL grads and students work in 30 states and 100+ colleges, reaching over 1.6 million students.
• DCCL has launched 21 cohorts since 2010, including the 16 Michigan-based cohorts, one Harper College (Illinois) cohort, and four Texas-based (Houston) cohorts.
• Of particular pride is the fact that 65% of our students/completers are women, reflecting the growing representation of women in leadership roles.
• Over the 10 years, more than a third of our students reflect ethnic diversity. This representation is encouraging given the diversity of community college students and the great need for a more representative leadership team. Even more encouraging is that the most recent cohorts are more diverse, with Cohorts Ten, Texas 2, and Cohort Eleven enrolling 50%, 65%, and 61% ethnically diverse students, respectively.

Over the course of this year (from June 2020 through June 2021), we will communicate more about the ways in which DCCL is serving the community college world. So, let us share more about what you should expect in the coming year, as we kick off with a virtual launch.

In the coming months, you will see these events and celebrations:

• Quarterly publication of a newsletter, DCCL Dissertations: Making an Impact, highlighting our students’ dissertation research completed by our graduates.
• Shared reflections, inspiring words, and lessons learned from our students and graduates, shared through video testimonials.
• An anticipated early 2021 launch of a book called Enhancing Performance: A Best Practices Guide for Innovations in Community Colleges, with essays from alumni and faculty. We are currently planning a book signing and release party at the 2021 AACC convention.
• Continued fund-raising to support our three scholarships and an alumni development fund that have been established and are minimally endowed, so that the scholarship assistance can increase.

It has been a great honor to be involved with all of you since 2010 in the building of the program and the opportunity to teach, mentor, and advise the students DCCL has welcomed. Our advisory board, the faculty, and the DCCL staff share our excitement about the work we do and will continue to do. We all feel that, if our students are evidence of the talent that aspires to serve, the future of community colleges is in very good hands. DCCL graduates are prepared to lead through the challenges ahead.

Celebrate with us!

The DCCL program emphasizes research with relevance, and DCCL learners are encouraged to complete dissertation work that will enhance and advance the effectiveness of their colleges. Over the past 10 years, DCCL has built a program that instills a culture of learning and contributes to scholarship for application. This quarterly publication will highlight our graduates’ dissertation work and the way they are Making an Impact.

The DCCL program would not be celebrating this milestone without our amazing graduates and students. Listen to their perspectives, as they share their experience of the DCCL program and how it has impacted their professional lives.

Tomeka Cross Wilson, Cohort 8
Mike Mendez, Cohort 8
Aimee Belanger-Haas, Cohort 8
Becky Baranowski, Cohort 8
Dave McCall, Cohort 8
Aura Cazares, Cohort 8
Derrick Harden, Cohort 8

Why a book? Why now? To celebrate DCCL program’s 10th Anniversary, we think it’s a perfect time to celebrate the achievements and expertise of our program grads, faculty, and board members with a publication that can contribute to the best-practice literature in community college leadership while being useful to all in higher education. This collection of essays grew from a Call for Proposals to our graduates, faculty, and Advisory Board members. The results were amazing and resulted in Enhancing Performance: A Best Practices Guide for Innovations in Community Colleges, which is now available for purchase.

Order a Copy