Feb. 17, 2003

(Dallas) - You can go home again. That's what Dr. Jennifer Wimbish discovered when she started her first day as president of Cedar Valley College on Feb. 17.

Although the face of the campus has changed - and the faces of many students, faculty and staff - the college reminds her of days spent as coordinator at CVC's Women's Center, where she managed grant and coordinated programs, plus the delivery of academic and counseling support services for returning adult women students. More than 15 years later, Wimbish has left her mark on several higher education institutions (including Brookhaven College, also part of the Dallas County Community College District) and enhanced the role of community colleges in many students' lives.

"I have two key passions: students and partnerships - specifically, those connected with the community and workforce development," explains Wimbish, who most recently served as chief academic officer and interim provost at Lansing (Mich.) Community College. "We need to provide quality learning experiences for students. And we need to ask ourselves, as community colleges, whether we are giving students enough support, especially since they have a variety of learning styles. We must meet their needs."

CVC's new president - the first African American to hold that position - also emphasizes the school's interaction with area communities. "We need to hear what their issues are," said Wimbish. "In today's environment, we need to be efficient in order to serve the taxpayers, and we must develop partnerships. Then we can work together on issues at both the local and state levels in areas such as workforce. All elements come together through those two areas: students and community partnerships."

During her tenure at LCC, Wimbish also served as dean of the student and academic support division. She was dean of student support services at Brookhaven College, as well as dean of the school's human development division; director of the Counseling Center; and a faculty counselor. She began her career in education as both an instructor and guidance counselor with the Corpus Christi Independent School District before she joined Vernon Regional Junior College in Wichita Falls, Texas.

Wimbish - whose husband is based in Dallas and who has commuted to Michigan in order to see her over a nine-year period - has both the academic and administrative experiences needed to serve as president of Cedar Valley. Much of that experience came as an administrator for DCCCD, but she built on that foundation and advanced the needs of students in Michigan.

"I am proud of being a member of the team that successfully urged voters to pass a $7 million milleage campaign at Lansing Community College. That effort made the economic environment healthier for other Michigan colleges, too," she explains. "I also have been effective working at the state level, where I put together a one-stop-shop approach related to workforce development - a successful, award-winning initiative and a critical area, given the nation's economic environment today. Community colleges play a key role in workforce development." (That partnership program with the state of Michigan involved employers and employees, training, outsourcing and other work-related areas.)

Wimbish also provided leadership for the college's online distance learning program and, with her leadership and guidance, its enrollment doubled each semester. "We had all of the courses online for our 16 associate's degree programs, which represents 230 sections of courses," said Wimbish. "We saw an overall increase in enrollment of 10 percent for our college, which was part of our strategic plan, and we also worked with the U.S. Army around the world to deliver courses. Significantly, we documented the fact that our distance learning program completion rate was the same as traditional classes."

Among other accomplishments, Wimbish secured a $500,000 grant for automotive students' needs; a training grant with General Motors; and online training for Blue Cross/Blue Shield of Michigan. She also chaired a mayor's committee on technology and the digital divide - a program that was recognized in Lansing - and she received a Kellogg Foundation grant to develop credit courses related to the program.

Wimbish holds a doctorate in higher adult and lifelong education from Michigan State University, a master's degree in guidance and counseling from Texas A&M University - Kingsville (Texas) and a bachelor's degree in history education from Hampton University (Va.). She has earned a number of honors and awards, including the MSU College of Education's Walter F. and Mary Jane Johnson Dissertation Research Award; the American College Personnel Association Commission XI Research Award; and the St. John's Community "Unity Award" for cooperation and collaboration with area agencies in Lansing. Wimbish is a graduate of the Executive Leadership Institute of the League for Innovation in the Community College, in cooperation with University of Texas at Austin. She also has been involved in a number of civic and community groups.

CVC's new president now lives in Dallas with her husband; their son attends the University of Southern California, where he is a business major. "I am a family-oriented person," says Wimbish, "and I'm excited about coming home to Texas." For more information, contact the CVC marketing office at 972.860.8142.