|
New Face at CCC
Cayuga Community College
Cayuga Community College’s new President Dr. Daniel Larson was appointed in July, and began his three-year term on August 1. “I think there are some real opportunities here,” Larson said. “Certainly one is to build upon the distinguished history of the college and its accomplishments,” citing the college's 54-year transformation, going from Auburn Community College in 1953 to Cayuga County Community College in 1975, and the opening of the Fulton campus in 1994.
Larson worked at Mohawk Community College in Utica for the past four years as vice president of instruction, and has nearly 30 years experience in higher education. One of his goals is to stabilize the enrollment at the Auburn campus.
“If we look at the demographics for upstate New York, by 2009 high school graduate population begins to fall off because the children of Baby Boomers have ended their segment of graduating high school,” he said. “Not only do we want to gain as many high school graduates as possible, but we also want to look at the adult population and make sure that they are receiving the programs and services needed in their current job, or give them skills to attain new positions.”
Larson continues, “Part of what we see in student growth is that there are more students looking for alternative formats, one being online. Because of times and schedules and families some students can't actually come to the college to take their classes. Online courses are opportunities where students can access their courses based upon their own availability. We want to encourage that growth.”
Larson also understands the importance of reaching the immigrant population and the people who are pursuing their GEDs and are planning on completing some post-secondary education.
During his tenure as president Larson will also address the aging college buildings. He said, “It comes to a point where you have a 40-year-old building with a 40-year-old roof. You also have to consider how to make the college more efficient with energy and power costs.”
When Larson looks at Auburn, he sees opportunity. “I see a city that is truly trying to reinvent itself,” he said. “Auburn is addressing issues that many cities in the Northeast are dealing with. The old foundation of manufacturing has changed tremendously, and what may have been here once upon a time is no longer, because of those changes.”
Larson believes that the college can help the city achieve its goals. The college is in the process of conducting an environmental scan to understand the needs of businesses and industries to pair them with the educational and training services CCC can provide.
“That would help reinvent Auburn and the entire region,” he said. “Part of what we're talking about is how does CCC envision the region, and what part do we play in that process. We want to work closely with city and county governments, school districts, BOCES (Board of Cooperative Educational Services), and all of the entities that are interested in what the future looks like from a collaborative approach.”
Working together is a key component of Larson's vision and something he’s done for a good part of his career. Collaborative partnerships between the college, the school districts and BOCES create pathways that lead from public school to college to work,” he said.
Larson believes this process begins before high school, during which time children can engage in career fairs and job shadowing. “Much of that needs to start at the middle school level,” he said. “We can't wait until students are in their junior year or senior year of high school and ask them what they want to do with the rest of their lives. We need to give them the time to see where their future lies. The bottom line is, we want people to live, work and play in Cayuga County, and do it successfully,” he said. “It's about quality of life.”
|
