#GraduateREADY

The Role of Post-Secondary Education in Improving

Educational Attainment for All Students

Presented by The Mobile County Education Commission

Sponsored by

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OPENING REMARKS

WELCOME

Dr. Richard L. Hayes, Dean, College of Education

University of South Alabama

8:30AM-9:00AM

9:00AM-9:10AM

9:10AM-10:15AM

10:15AM-10:30AM

10:30AM-11:30AM

Introduction by Alan Turner, United Way of Southwest Alabama

THE STATE OF POST-SECONDARY EDUCATION

Dr. Gregory G. Fitch, Executive Director

Alabama Commission on Higher Education

REGISTRATION

KEYNOTE ADDRESS

REFRESHMENT BREAK

Moderator: Dr. Bree A. Hayes, CEO/President, The Hayes Group Consulting

THE ROLE OF POST-SECONDARY EDUCATION IN IMPROVING

EDUCATIONAL ATTAINMENT FOR ALL STUDENTS

Panelists

Dr. Mark Heinrich, Chancellor, Alabama Community College System

Dr. Latitia McCane, Dean, Bishop State Community College

Father Gregory F. Lucey, President, Spring Hill College

Dr. Tony Waldrop, President, University of South Alabama

POST-SECONDARY PANEL DISCUSSION

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RESPONDENTS

Dr. Charles Nash, Vice Chancellor

University of Alabama System

Ms. Martha Peek, Superintendent

Mobile County Public School System

11:30AM-12:00PM

12:00PM-12:15PM

12:15PM-12:30PM

STUDENT’S VOICE

High School and College Student Panel

Moderator: Dr. Bree A Hayes

CALL TO ACTION

Mrs. Carolyn R. Akers, CEO

Mobile Area Education Foundation

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SPEAKER BIOGRAPHIES

Ms. Carolyn R. Akers

Carolyn Akers is the Chief Executive Officer of the Mobile Area Education Foundation. Since the founding of MAEF in 1992, she has emerged as a leader among advocates for education on the state, regional and national levels.

Carolyn is a graduate of Leadership Mobile and Leadership Alabama. She has received Leadership Alabama’s Outstanding Alumnus Award and The Little Red Schoolhouse Award from the Council for Leaders

in Alabama Schools (CLAS), the statewide organization of school leaders. She has served on the steering committees of Mobile United, Envision-Coastal Alabama and the state A+ Research and Education Foundation. She was appointed to serve as chairman of Mayor Sam Jones’ Education Task Force, Mayor Sandy Stimpson’s Transition Team and as co-chair of Governor Bob Riley’s State of Alabama Education Task Force. Currently, she sits on the Board of Directors for the +Research and Education Foundation, the John F. Will Scholarship Foundation and the Alabama Region Nine Southwest Alabama Workforce Development Council. Other awards include: the prestigious national McKee Award for Partners in Education, the 2001-2002 Southeastern Association of Elementary School Principals Award for Outstanding Contributions to Public Education, the 2002 Lillian McGowin/AFP for Outstanding Civic Leader, and the 2005 Wendy D. Purifoy Award which recognizes distinguished contributions by a local education foundation to create conditions of learning that benefit all children. In 2012, Carolyn was named Alabamian of the year by the Anniston Star. Carolyn is a graduate of the University of Alabama, with a B.S. in Biology and Chemistry and a Master’s in Microbiology.

Dr. Gregory G. Fitch

Gregory G. Fitch, Ph.D., was named executive director of the Alabama Commission on Higher Education

(ACHE) in July, 2006, having served as a state higher education executive officer (SHEEO) in two other states

(Missouri and Idaho).

Dr. Fitch has served in chancellor and president roles in three community college systems and as the

founding president of the Utah College of Applied Technology – an institution established to promote

economic development through the creation and support of a qualified workforce.

He holds a Ph.D. in administration, curriculum and instruction from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln, a M.A. in English from

Emporia State University and a B.A. in English with a minor in sociology and education from Washburn University in Topeka.

The functions of a coordinating board for higher education are multi-faceted. Dr. Fitch has been a strong proponent of the

Commission’s three-fold mission of accessibility, affordability, and coordination. The mission is consistently reflected in

ACHE’s focus on critical major higher education issues. He has advocated additional funding for the Alabama Student

Assistance Program which provides funds to help those students who demonstrate substantial financial need.

As part of ACHE’s statutory responsibility, work is being done on a five-year statewide plan for higher/postsecondary

education. A committee representing education, business/industry, and community representatives will be convened in

2015 to develop this comprehensive plan.

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Dr. Richard L. Hayes

Dr. Richard L. Hayes is currently Dean of the College of Education at the University of South Alabama. A

Harvard College graduate, he received his master’s and doctorate from Boston University. A former public

school teacher and counselor, he held faculty positions at Colgate University, Bradley University, and The

University of Georgia prior to assuming his current position in 2004. He has been a Fulbright Senior

Research Scholar in Japan, and a Visiting Faculty member at the University of Tokyo, the University of

Jyvaskyla, Finland, and the University of Salamanca, Spain. His research interests lie at the intersection of a

democratic philosophy of education and a constructivist developmental psychology. He has authored more

than 90 publications in 4 different languages and made more than 150 presentations at international and

national meetings of professional associations on topics related to school counselor preparation, school-university

collaboration, collaborative action research, group work, cross-cultural research and practice, democratic education, team-

building, and strategic planning. He is a past president of the Association for Moral Education and the Association for

Specialists in Group Work and is a Fellow in The American Educational Research Association, the Association for Specialists in

Group Work and the American Psychological Association. He has been recognized for the excellence of his scholarly and

professional contributions with the highest awards that the American Counseling Association, the Association for Moral

Education, the Association for Specialists in Group Work, and the Association for Humanistic Education and Development can

bestow upon their members.

SPEAKER BIOGRAPHIES

Dr. Bree A. Hayes

Dr. Bree Hayes is an organizational consultant and counseling psychologist, who is president of The Hayes

Group, an international consulting firm, based in Mobile, AL. Dr. Hayes received her bachelor’s, master’s,

and doctorate from Boston University. For the past 30 years, she has worked with organizations all over the

world helping them to achieve their business imperatives through developing the human potential of their

employees. Her expertise lies in strategic planning, team analysis and development, executive coaching,

and personnel assessment. She has held faculty appointments at Bradley University, Cornell University, The

Pennsylvania State University, and The University of Georgia. She is the author of two professional texts and

a dozen book chapters and articles for professional audiences in counseling and human performance. She is a past-president

and Fellow of the Association for Specialists in Group Work

In addition, Dr. Hayes is particularly well-known for her ability to conduct substantive and exciting training. As an educator

and consultant, she brings unique insights and creative solutions to her clients’ problems. She is an internationally

recognized and requested speaker in many areas, including, coaching for high performance, planning and managing change,

leading the next generation, and building effective teams. She brings both content and warmth to her training. She is

frequently asked to conduct senior management retreats to assist in better team alignment.

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Rev. Gregory F. Lucey, S.J.

A native of Wisconsin, the Rev. Gregory F. Lucey, S.J., entered the Society of Jesus in 1951 and was ordained a priest in 1964. He holds a Ph.D. in educational administration from the University of Wisconsin at Madison; an M.A. in liturgy from the University of Notre Dame; as well as undergraduate and graduate degrees in philosophy, theology and education from Saint Louis University.

From 1978 to 1988, Lucey was vice president for development at Seattle University. He served as rector of the Jesuit community at Marquette University for five years, during which time he founded and directed

the university’s Center for Ignatian Spirituality. He was appointed president of the Jesuit Conference USA based in Washington, DC and has also served as a trustee of Xavier University, Loyola University New Orleans and Marquette University.

Lucey served as Spring Hill College’s 37th president from 1997 to 2009. In 2011, he was appointed president of the Association of Jesuit Colleges and Universities in Washington D.C., where he represented the 28 member institutions and strengthened the Jesuit higher education network. He returned to Spring Hill College as chancellor in spring 2013. His role as chancellor included strengthening the College’s mission and identity as a Jesuit, Catholic college. In December 2013, following the Rev. Richard P. Salmi’s five-year term as president, Lucey resumed his role as president of the College.

SPEAKER BIOGRAPHIES

Mark A. Heinrich, Ph.D.

Mark Heinrich grew up in Oconomowoc, Wisconsin, and received his bachelor’s and master’s degrees from Tennessee Tech University. While pursuing his undergraduate degree, Dr. Heinrich was a scholarship athlete on Tennessee Tech’s varsity tennis team. He went on to receive his Ph.D. degree from The University of Alabama during which time he served on Coach Paul “Bear” Bryant’s athletic staff. He spent the next 28 years working in a number of positions at Carson-Newman University to include Professor and Chair of Psychology, Chair of Graduate Studies in School Counseling, Dean of Social Sciences and Education, Associate Provost, and Vice President for Academic Affairs. In January 2008, Dr. Heinrich was hired as President for Shelton State Community College, where he served for the next five years. On September 20,

2012, the Alabama State Board of Education, chaired by the Governor, unanimously elected Dr. Heinrich to the position of Chancellor for the Alabama Community College System. As Chancellor, Dr. Heinrich serves as CEO for 25 community and technical colleges, Marion Military Institute, and the Alabama Technology Network. In his current position, Dr. Heinrich is committed to developing strategies to unite the Alabama Community College System under the goal of improving the state’s economy by creating a well-educated and highly-skilled workforce.

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Charles Ray Nash, Ed.D.

Charles R. Nash (Ed.D.) has served as Vice Chancellor for Academic Affairs for The University of Alabama System since 1992. As a senior academic officer in the System, he is the chief liaison to academic, institutional research and planning officials at The University of Alabama, The University of Alabama at Birmingham, and The University of Alabama in Huntsville. He advises the Chancellor on all academic policy matters and provides primary leadership in program planning, development, and review. He is the liaison officer for the UA System to the Alabama Department of Education, the Alabama Department of Postsecondary Education, and the Alabama Commission on Higher Education. In 2009, his duties were expanded to include Student Affairs functions for The University of Alabama System.

He holds a bachelor’s degree from Jackson (MS) State University, a master’s degree from the University of Southern Mississippi, and a doctoral degree from Mississippi State University.

Prior to assuming his current position, Dr. Nash served as Associate Executive Director for the Commission on Colleges of the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools (SACS/COC). He has also held the position of Dean of the School of Education at Armstrong Atlantic State University (GA) and Director of Special Studies and Assistant Vice Chancellor for Academic Development for the Board of Regents of the University System of Georgia. He began his career teaching middle school science and served as a high school assistant principal [Higgins High School] and as an elementary school principal [Westbrook and Hughes Elementary Schools].

SPEAKER BIOGRAPHIES

Latitia McCane, Ph.D.

Dr. Latitia McCane is Dean of Academic Services for Bishop State Community College. Dr. McCane received a resolution from the Alabama State Board of Education in recognition of her participation on the Phoenix Team that assisted Bishop State with its accreditation.

Prior to coming to Bishop State, Dr. McCane was employed by Jefferson Davis Community College. At Jefferson Davis, Dr. McCane held positions as Associate Dean of Instruction and chemistry instructor. As Associate Dean of Instruction, she was responsible managing the Atmore campus of Jefferson Davis and prison programs and created a chemical technology program and a partnership with the Paper and Pulp Foundation in chemical engineering at Auburn University.

Early in her career, Dr. McCane was a chemist and conducted research in organic and synthetic organic chemistry. She has been employed by Ciba Geigy Chemicals, Rohm and Haas Chemical Company, Millipore Cooperation, and Zeneca Agricultural Products. She was a research assistant at Alabama State University through the Minority Biomedical Research Support Program (MBRS) where she earned her Bachelors in chemistry, recipient of the Patricia Harris Fellowship at Texas Southern University where she earned a Masters in chemistry and fellowship recipient at the University of Alabama, Tuscaloosa, where she earned a Masters in organic chemistry. She earned a Ph.D. from Lacrosse University in Education Administration and a Ph.D. in Urban Higher Education Administration from Jackson State University. Dr. McCane has participated in the Leadership Academy through the University of Alabama, Tuscaloosa, Leadership Alabama, Leadership Atmore, and the American Association of Community Colleges leadership training for instructional deans. Dr. McCane has served on committees for Southern Association of Colleges and Schools (SACS) and is a member of the Mobile Area Chamber of Commerce Board of Directors.

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Dr. Tony G. Waldrop

Dr. Tony G. Waldrop was named the third president in the history of the University of South Alabama following a vote on February 6, 2014, by the University’s Board of Trustees. An accomplished researcher, teacher and administrator in higher education for more than 30 years, Waldrop came to USA after serving four years as provost and executive vice president at the University of Central Florida, with previous stints as vice chancellor for research and economic development at the University of North Carolina and vice chancellor for research at the University of Illinois. Waldrop has a bachelor’s degree in political science, a master’s in physical education and a Ph.D. in physiology, all from the University of North Carolina.

In 1986, he joined the faculty in the Department of Physiology and Biophysics at the University of Illinois, advancing to professor, earning the school’s Arnold O. Beckman Research Award, and recognition as a University Scholar and an American Heart Association Established Investigator. Waldrop served at Illinois in a number of administrative roles and was instrumental in the development of a research park allowing for partnerships between the university and industry. Waldrop returned to his alma mater in 2001 as the University of North Carolina’s vice chancellor for research and economic development and as a professor in the Department of Cell and Molecular Physiology. Nine years later, he was named provost and executive vice president at Central Florida. Waldrop is a native of Columbus, N.C., and is married to Dr. Julee B. Waldrop, who holds a Doctor of Nursing Practice degree from Duke University. She has been a professor at the University of Illinois at Chicago, the University of North Carolina and the University of Central Florida. She is a published clinician and researcher and is also an accomplished athlete. They have two adult sons, Cabe and Dallas.

SPEAKER BIOGRAPHIES

Ms. Martha Peek

Martha Peek is superintendent of the Mobile County Public Schools. During her career, which spans over forty years in the Mobile County Public School System, she has been a teacher, principal, assistant superintendent and deputy superintendent. Mrs. Peek is the first female superintendent in the 178 year history of the school system.

Mrs. Peek is a graduate of the University of Alabama and the University of South Alabama. She is an active member of a number of professional and civic organizations and is currently serving as chairman of the Alabama State Department of Education Accountability Task Force. She and her husband reside in Bayou La Batre.

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M O B I L E A R E A E D U C A T I O N F O U N D A T I O N

8 Y E A R T H E O R Y O F C H A N G E

Clearly dropout prevention

is not only a moral

imperative, it’s an economic

imperative. And dropout

prevention is not only a

school district problem, it is

a COMMUNITY problem that requires the response of the WHOLE community. Since public schools

play a vital role in our community, our community must play an active role in our public schools.

Increasing the high school graduation rate is the single best thing our region can do,

not only for our children’s future, but for the future of our entire community.

D U R I N G & A F T E R T H E S U M M I T… . G E T CO N N E C T E D

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N OT E S

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