JCC Is Finalist for Prestigious Bellwether Award
Published: December 14, 2016
College recognized for One College philosophy.
Johnston Community College is one of 10 community colleges in the nation selected as a finalist for the 2017 Bellwether Awards in the planning, governance, and finance category. JCC was selected for its One College organizational philosophy for student success.
The Bellwether Awards recognize outstanding and innovative programs and practices that are successfully leading community colleges into the future.
"We are so honored to be recognized by the Futures Assembly as a Bellwether finalist," said Dr. David Johnson, JCC president. "Through our One College philosophy, we continue to develop strategic initiatives to eliminate silos within the College and foster the best environment for student success."
JCC initiated its One College model in 2010 with the restructuring of the curriculum division, which included combining continuing education with curriculum programming under the leadership of one vice president and five deans; a merger of registration staff; and creation of a Center for Academic Planning to develop skilled employee pipelines and give students a one-stop fashion of service delivery.
The Bellwether Awards are an integral part of the Community College Futures Assembly, established in 1995. The Assembly is sponsored by the Institute of Higher Education at the University of Florida and focuses on cutting-edge, trendsetting programs that other colleges might find worthy of replicating. The Bellwether Awards are given annually in three categories to colleges with outstanding and innovative programs or practices.
The Bellwether Award has been compared to football's Heisman Award because it is competitively judged and is an award given by peers in community colleges, with no cash award. It has also been called "the award of awards" because many institutions with programs that have won other awards apply for the Bellwether Award. Moreover, previous recipients of the Bellwether Award have said that it has been a springboard for other types of recognition and/or funding.
JCC will present the One College philosophy at the Futures Assembly in Orlando, Fla. on Jan. 30 Winners will be announced on Jan. 31.
Earlier this year, JCC was named a top 150 Aspen Prize institution. JCC was the only North Carolina community college selected in the first round for the 2017 Aspen award, which recognizes two-year institutions that have demonstrated exceptional student results.