President's Message

Sally Chapman Cameron
NCMPR President
Vice President for College Communications
Bristol Community College, MA

Has there ever been a better time for community colleges?

Despite the fiscal challenges, despite the grind of doing everything with practically nothing, despite the jokes and disrespect, our colleges are finally getting the recognition they deserve. We have a champion in the White House who gets us and without apology sees us as the centerpiece of economic recovery. Community and technical colleges are gaining their due as the superheroes of higher education. And for us as community college communicators, there is no better time to step up and grasp the opportunities.

A superhero is someone who possesses extraordinary, often magical, powers. Doesn’t that describe our colleges? Our colleges provide access and opportunity to students who often have no other alternative. Our colleges educate the nurses and the engineers and the police officers who serve our communities. We make it affordable so that our graduates don’t have to mortgage their futures to get an education. We embrace teaching and learning as high and almost holy callings. No other segment of higher education does what we do so well. And we do it with a smile and a hand up and with much less money. If that’s not magical, I don’t know what is.

Within our colleges, we community college communicators are superheroes as well. We labor in small offices with small budgets. We often have to be generalists who learn as we go. And as ways of communicating have changed, we’ve had to stay on the leading edge to be sure we successfully get our messages out. We possess extraordinary skills and extraordinary power to tell the stories that demonstrate we are worth the new attention.

But, to quote another superhero (Spider-man), with great power comes great responsibility. We must hone our communications tools so that our power is at maximum effectiveness. And to presidents and boards and other supervisors, we must show how we can think strategically, move nimbly, and create and broadcast the message effectively.

I feel that responsibility keenly as I become president of the board for NCMPR. It’s YOUR board, honestly. The he-roes and she-roes on the board have one common goal – to stay focused on member needs and provide the most relevant, high-quality programming and services possible. Here are some items I believe are on the horizon:

First, as college presidents and boards wrestle with declining budgets, they will demand, if they aren’t already, that we demonstrate ROI (return on investment.) Can you? That will be a topic in our programming and services this year.

Second, as the numbers and types of communications channels continue to expand, how do you build an integrated, strategic communication strategy that drives forward your college’s mission and goals?

Third, what else? Please feel free to email me anytime at sally.cameron@bristolcc.edu.

So, assemble together. Make maximum use of this organization to give you the skills you need to grasp this extraordinary opportunity for our colleges.

I look forward to meeting each of you throughout the year and experiencing your superpowers as you labor on behalf of our great community colleges.