2009-11-19
The Boards of Trustees for the University of Rio Grande and Rio Grande Community College held a joint retreat recently to discuss new goals and programs for all Rio Grande students.
The retreat, which was held Oct. 15-16 in Athens, gave the Board members the opportunity to hear from faculty and staff, while also discussing current trends in higher education in the region and all across the country.
“The entire focus was on what we can do for our students,” explained Rio Grande President Barbara Gellman-Danley, Ph.D. The two boards are cooperating very effectively through the “One Rio,” philosophy for the institution, and the retreat was another way to bring all of the Trustees together. Rio Grande is unique in the region in that it is part private university and part community college.
“ ‘One Rio’ emphasizes the importance of the continued collaboration and cooperation between the two Boards,” explained Don Wood, chair of the University of Rio Grande Board of Trustees. The two Boards have always worked well together, but the “One Rio” philosophy looks for ways to continue to improve the relationship between the two Boards. Wood explained that he got the idea for the phrase, “One Rio,” when he saw that the letter, “O” in the new Rio Grande athletic logo is made up by placing the letters “R” and “G” together in the design.
When the two Boards work together and plan together as one institution, it benefits the students and the community, Wood said.
He added that the “One Rio” spirit was present throughout the October Board retreat.
“Our focus is only on the students,” Wood said. For example, Wood said he was particularly interested in the discussions over additional distance learning programs, along with additional programs that can be offered through flexible scheduling.
Wood took many of his college classes in the evenings and on the weekends, and said that many Rio Grande students have work and family responsibilities during the day that require them to take classes in the evenings or over the weekends.
“This issue is very important to me,” Wood said.
Tom Karr, chair of the Rio Grande Community College Board of Trustees, said he was also very pleased with the ideas discussed during the retreat, as well as with the spirit of cooperation shown during the meetings.
“It was a very informative, collaborative team effort,” Karr said. “It was a huge step forward for ‘One Rio.’”
While the Board members worked with each other, they also had the opportunity to hear from President Gellman-Danley and several members of the administration.
Gellman-Danley has connections in higher education at the state, regional and national levels, and she discussed the statewide and national issues currently facing higher education. For example, she is one of only 15 Board members on the National Community College Advisory Council of the Educational Testing Service. She also previously worked with the Ohio Board of Regents, and has contacts all around the country that will benefit Rio Grande in numerous ways.
The Board members also heard from Rio Grande officials in departments such as admissions, financial aid, athletics, student services, institutional advancement, finance and campus computing/networking. The Trustees discussed issues such as how to strengthen the academic programs, how to better assist residential students, how to better assist commuter students, how to work most effectively with outside stakeholders, how to best serve adult students and how to best plan for the future of the institution.
Gellman-Danley said the administrative officials planned well for the retreat, and did an excellent job making their presentations to the Trustees. She was very pleased with how everything went during the Board meetings, and she is excited about Rio Grande‘s future.
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