RCC President To Join Prestigious Designer's In Residence

Press release from Rockland Community College:

May 25, 2021

ROCKLAND COUNTY, N.Y. (May 25, 2021) – Rockland Community College announced today
that Dr. Michael Baston, President, has been selected to join the Education Design Lab’s
Designers in Residence program. As a part of the program, Dr. Baston will be building on
identifying the jobs of the future and developing curriculums and career skill pathways that meet
the needs of community and commerce partners, and continuing to develop the RCC initiative
of Steps Beyond Statements to close equity gaps.

Spanning a diverse cross-section of communities, institutional positionality, and lived experience
and expertise, the Designers in Residence will work together as a design team to co-create a
model for colleges to be regional change agents to close economic and racial opportunity gaps as
we move into a post-COVID economy.

“I am honored to be selected to be a Designer in Residence. This presents a unique opportunity
to learn from innovators across the country and contribute the insight we have amassed at RCC
to help others develop the institutions that they want to see serving their communities. RCC has a
long-standing commitment to be a catalyst for economic growth in our region, offering
thoughtfully designed programs and partnerships that are responsive to both student and
workforce needs. But we can always do more to support students, which includes learning from
other innovators across the country,” said Dr. Baston. “Within the cohort, we will be able to
leverage our collective expertise to develop new insights regarding how higher education can
best serve students today and in the future. I look forward to those insights impacting not only
our own students, but students across the country.”

Dr. Baston intends to share RCC’s Steps Beyond Statements program which dictates that
community colleges must first offer a safe and welcoming environment, create strategic
partnerships between the college and the community, and take advantage of organizational
resources and collaborative leadership to ensure equitable opportunities and outcomes for all
students.

In 2021, 22% fewer students enrolled in higher education than prior to the COVID-19 pandemic,
a number that increases to 30% for students from low-income high schools. Simultaneously, 42%
of jobs lost during the pandemic may disappear forever, requiring postsecondary education to
reimagine how learners are prepared to enter the workforce. Across New York the number of
students applying to attend one of the State University of New York’s 64 campuses fell by 20
percent this year amid the coronavirus pandemic. One of the major objectives of the Workforce Development Board of Rockland County is to strategically direct training resources to in-demand industries that are driving economic development in the County. The four key industries of focus are Advanced Manufacturing, Data Technology, Biomedical, and Hospitality and Tourism.

To help address these disparities, Designers in Residence will leverage their collective expertise
to co-create a framework that centers on the needs of their learners within a rapidly evolving
economy and provide the start of a roadmap for other institutions and innovators seeking to build
and scale this system.

“We hope to emerge from this year with design tools that will position the scores of learner
success partnerships around the country to seize what we all believe is an innovation moment,
coming out of the pandemic,” said Kathleen deLaski, CEO of the Education Design Lab.
“Colleges recognize that their roles are evolving along with learner views about degrees and
employer’s needs, and with a heightened urgency around what it will take to break down racial
and economic barriers to open up livable wage futures for all.”

Other members of the Designers in Residence cohort include:
Bonita Brown, Vice President and Chief Strategy Officer, Northern Kentucky University
Ahmad Ezzeddine, Associate Vice President of Educational Outreach and International
Programs, Wayne State University
Chanel L. Fort, Director of Academic Innovation and Learning Strategist, Fortified Learning
Solutions, Stillman College
Rose Rojas, Interim Director of Workforce Strategy, Maricopa Community College
Adrian Haugabrook, Executive Vice President and Managing Director, Social Impact Collective,
Southern New Hampshire University
Lisa Larson, President, Eastern Maine Community College
Cameron McCoy, Incoming Provost, Shenandoah University
Nicole McDonald, Assistant Vice President, University of Houston
Jairo McMican, Dean of Student Learning/Director of Equity and Pathways, Central Carolina
Community College
Ian Roark, Vice President of Workforce Development and Strategic Partnerships, Pima
Community College
Stacy Townsley, Vice President of Adult Strategy and Statewide Partnerships, Ivy Tech
Community College

This program is funded by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation and views expressed by the
program do not necessarily reflect positions or policies of the foundation. Learn more about the
program here.

This press release was produced by the Rockland Community College. The views expressed here are the author’s own.