Letter From The Chair

Welcome back to Innovatus, the magazine of the League for Innovation in the Community College.
Those of us who work in the community college field know just how important it is to share our successes and lessons learned with others to inform policy and enhance practice. Our willingness to respect the strong foundations upon which our institutions are built while leading the charge toward a better tomorrow for our students is what makes community colleges strong.
In this issue of Innovatus, the League highlights innovative ideas and efforts that bring back-to-basics approaches into the future. In these pages, readers will
• Consider the capabilities approach as a way of enabling students to achieve their potential;
• Reflect on the importance of clearly defining, promoting, and providing the resources to meet an organization’s vision;
• Learn about an innovative intervention to address food insecurity as a barrier to student success;
• Explore the implementation of competency-based education in STEM courses to improve learning;
• And more …
On behalf of the League for Innovation, I encourage you to use the articles featured in Innovatus to generate new ideas and the discussion of possibilities at your institution. There is so much we can learn from each other; let’s take this opportunity to do so for the benefit of the students we all serve.
Sylvia Jenkins
Chair, Board of Directors, League for Innovation in the Community College
President, Moraine Valley Community College
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Letter From The Chair
Welcome back to Innovatus, the magazine of the League for Innovation in the Community College.
Community College Mission: From Access to Capabilities
The traditional mission of the community college flows out of several principles and characteristics of the institution, its local communities, and…
Competence vs. Completion: Does Passing Equate to Learning?
Science education is in crisis. Students in STEM programs across higher education fail, drop out, or change their majors at alarming rates. Two years…
Insights Into Higher Education Innovation: How Institutions Organize and Prioritize to Spur and Increase Innovation
Today’s financial, political, and higher education environment poses unprecedented challenges. Public financial support and trust in quality,…
Change Minds, Behaviors, and Outcomes Through Effective Leadership
Today’s community college landscape is evolving, and change seems to be a constant—particularly at institutions embracing innovation as part of their…
Spotlight – Walmart Brighter Futures 3.0: The Optimal Industry Partnership
With Walmart Brighter Futures, the League for Innovation in the Community College continues its long history of leading workforce development…
We’ve Come A Long Way, Baby: 21st Century Apprentices Set Up for Success at SAIT
The Southern Alberta Institute of Technology (SAIT) began in 1916 with 11 students and two pieces of donated machinery. Over the last 100 years, SAIT…
Innovative to Address Food Insecurity as a Barrier to Graduation
According to Wisconsin HOPE Lab’s Hungry and Homeless in College (2017), 67 percent of community college students across 24 U.S. states are food…
From Speed Bump to On-Ramp: Holistic Assessment and the Reinvention of Placement
The last decade has seen a remarkable and much-needed wave of innovations in developmental education, and the mechanisms for placement are no…
Letter From The Chair

Welcome to the inaugural issue of Innovatus, the magazine of the League for Innovation in the Community College!
Throughout 2018, the League is celebrating the 50th anniversary of its founding. Since innovation is at our core, it seems appropriate for this first issue of Innovatus to have innovation as its theme.
With a mission to cultivate innovation in community colleges, the League has spent five decades promoting and facilitating the creative risk-taking and problem-solving that seed innovative thought and action among educators and leaders in these institutions. League projects, events, publications, and partnerships create networks of community college faculty, staff, and administrators who openly share the process of innovation, from false starts and messiness to breakthroughs and successes.
Innovatus offers yet another venue for showcasing innovation and connecting innovators. In this issue, the cover story about a recent conversation between two game-changing leaders of the League complements articles featuring effective innovations, thought pieces on innovation itself, and other items celebrating and recognizing the innovative spirit of community college practitioners.
On behalf of the League for Innovation, I invite you to spend some time with Innovatus, and to use what you find here to initiate conversations on your campus—and perhaps stimulate innovations of your own.
Sylvia Jenkins
Chair, Board of Directors, League for Innovation in the Community College
President, Moraine Valley Community College
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Letter From The Chair
Welcome to the inaugural issue of Innovatus, the magazine of the League for Innovation in the Community College! Throughout 2018, the League is…
Past, Present, and Future: The League for Innovation at 50
Ask Terry O’Banion to identify the most important work the League for Innovation has done in its 50 years and he leads with helping community…
Faculty Voices: How Well Is Your College Doing on Completion?
At least half of community college faculty say their institution is doing a good job in five areas supporting improvement of student completion…
Community Colleges in The Age of Innovation
The future of education is up for grabs. It is changing on virtually every dimension that matters—the design of schools, the role of faculty, and…
Accelerating Innovation to Transform Community Colleges
Managing and maturing innovation can lead to significant and lasting transformation in community colleges, resulting in agile institutions that…
Maricopa Millions: Making the Most of Open Educational Resources
The cost of higher education is rising at an alarming rate, with course materials and textbooks seeing some of the most dramatic increases. Along…
Spotlight: Celebrating Excellence
For Excellence in Public Health and Health Navigation Education in Community Colleges
50 Years of Innovation
A Selection of League Projects, Initiatives, and Events Over Five Decade
Developing Leaders Throughout The Ranks
It was supposed to be about developing the leaders of tomorrow. That was the intent when the San Diego Community College District laid the groundwork…
Guided Pathways to Success: A Game Changer for Midland College
For the past two years, Midland College (MC) has been designing and implementing a pathways model with clear, educationally coherent program maps…