Thomas R. Bailey, newly appointed President of Teachers College, Columbia University, and a leading authority on community colleges, will deliver the keynote address at the Inauguration ceremony of Rockland Community College President Michael A. Baston on Thursday, September 13. The 2 pm ceremony will be held at RCC’s Cultural Arts Theater.
Dr. Bailey, an economist and professor of economics and education, has served on Teachers College’s faculty for the past 27 years. In 1996 he established the Community College Research Center at Teachers College, and became director emeritus of the center upon assuming the presidency of Teachers College on July 1, 2018. Among the books Dr. Bailey has co-authored are “Redesigning America’s Community Colleges: A Clearer Path to Student Success,” published in 2015 (with Shanna Jaggars and Davis Jenkins), and “Defending the Community College Equity Agenda,” published in 2006 (with Vanessa Morest).
In his keynote address, Dr. Bailey will touch on Dr. Baston’s philosophy of putting students first, the skills and principles that will make him a successful president at RCC, and his role as a “national leader” in community college reforms. “Rockland will be a model community college under his leadership,” Dr. Bailey said. He will also discuss the Guided Pathways program, on which Dr. Baston has placed great emphasis. Guided Pathways is designed to smooth the entry and negotiate the demands of college for students of all backgrounds and preparedness levels.
Dr. Bailey earned his undergraduate degree in economics from Harvard University and his Ph.D. in labor economics from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. His papers have appeared in a wide variety of education, policy-oriented and academic journals.
Dr. Baston succeeds Dr. Cliff L. Wood as the seventh president in RCC’s 59-year history. The Inauguration ceremony is free and open to the public, but seats must be reserved. To reserve a seat, go to http://www.rccinauguration.com/ceremony-reception/. RCC is live-streaming the ceremony at https://www.youtube.com/user/RocklandCC/live A reception immediately follows the ceremony.
For more information, contact Anne Hummer at 845-574-4715 or ahummer@sunyrockland.edu, or visit www.rccinauguration.com.
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