My vision for this department is multi-faceted, and would include many of the following tasks:

• Provide a platform for community college professionals to highlight the accomplishments of these institutions

• Maintain an Advisory Board of representatives from community colleges across the country to develop a Strategic Plan for developing priorities and create a recruitment plan to increase membership of member schools and individual members.

• Conduct research to determine the "Best Practices" utilized in Community Colleges across the country to develop systems solutions all of the challenges faced by these institution, that are sustainable for the next generation of community colleges. This would include best practices in the areas of enrollment management, orientation, retention, leadership development, workforce training, transfer articulation into four-year schools and academic advising.

• Create a Resource Book to outline the skills and areas of knowledge held by community college professionals to insure their participation in national forums. This will be a work in progress with the first phase to be completed by June 30, 2006.

• Welcome new professionals and community and two year member college member schools that join the Association..

• Increase the number of Student Services Institutes (SSIs) - the traveling professional development program for student affairs professionals at community and two year colleges - to be held each year on college campus.

• Open a dialogue on the current and critical issues faced by community colleges across the country, and begin to address those issues where we can make a difference.

• Use the established venues in the Association to continue to reach out to community and two year professionals through the regionals activities and the Knowledge communities.

• Provide a "voice" at the NASPA table to present the concerns of community college professionals and insure communication of these concerns throughout the membership.

• Develop partnerships with key stakeholders of community and two-year colleges to insure these institutions continue to receive the attention and funding they need to survive and accomplish their mission.

• Develop a list serve for community and two-year professionals to exchange professional information.

• Inspire and empower professionals to make a difference in the lives of students who pass through community colleges, on their way to making life decisions about their futures, whether they decide to go into paraprofessional programs or pursue the baccalaureate degree.

• And finally, I would like to integrate the programs and services of community and two-year colleges into the mainstream of the Association.