College leaders band together to evaluate programs

By working together the presidents of six Southwest Michigan community colleges and Western Michigan University expect to create stronger higher education opportunities for students across the region.To foster that cooperation, they have formed a consortium.An example of the type of programs that may grow out of the consortium are two pilot dual-enrollment programs serving aviation and engineering students at Kellogg Community College who plan to earn bachelor’s degrees from WMU. This program has launched in the past 18 months.Similar programs and opportunities are already in stages of formation and implementation with the other community college partners.The consortium partners are: • Dr. G. Edward Haring, president, Kellogg Community College;• Dr. Robert P. Harrison, president, Lake Michigan College;• Dr. David M. Mathews, president, Southwestern Community College;• Dr. Dale K. Nesbary, president, Muskegon Community College;• Dr. Marilyn J. Schlack, president, Kalamazoo Valley Community College; and• Dr. Gary Wheeler, president, Glen Oaks Community College.Next comes a series of meetings between officials at the individual community colleges and WMU, in which specific academic programs and ventures will be examined and tailored to the needs of students.”We all agree that there is potential for enormous benefit to our students if, as a group, we are thoughtful and creative about how we leverage existing resources to meet the needs of the populations we serve,” Dunn says. “This is our commitment to work closely together to ensure students have the opportunities they need to realize their goals.” Writer: Kathy Jennings Source: Cheryl Roland,  WMU