Patrick & Henry Community College: Leap and the Net Will Appear
Making college-wide improvements requires courage. The Rural Guided Pathways Institutes helped Patrick & Henry Community College (P&HCC) become more comfortable with taking risks and braving new territory.
“At an Institute, I heard someone say, ‘Leap and the net will appear,’ and that is one of my favorite lines,” says Christopher Wikstrom, vice president of academic & student success services. “Hearing about different colleges’ success with pathways strategies gave us a nudge that said, ‘Okay, you’re doing the right thing. Go and take that chance. Take that risk and jump.’”
University of Arkansas Community College-Batesville: The Gravity of the Work Became Clear
Participation in the Rural Guided Pathways Institutes led many participants to rethink aspects of their college and their work. The experience was particularly powerful for Randall Warn, who is part of the University of Arkansas Community College-Batesville (UACCB) pathways team. Warn is a member of UACCB’s Industrial Technology faculty and the co-chair of the UACCB strategic planning team. He also graduated from the department where he currently teaches.
White Mountains Community College: “I Couldn’t Have Planned This”
When White Mountains Community College (WMCC) joined the Rural Guided Pathways Project, the college team did not know exactly what to expect. But they were pleased to find a series of experiences that both surprised and motivated them.
“You can’t make this stuff up,” says Charles “Chuck” Lloyd, vice chancellor for the Community College System of New Hampshire and former president of WMCC. “I couldn’t have planned this, but the design of the project created the conditions for incredible things to happen.”