Richard Rhodes: The TT Interview
As the product of community college education himself, Richard Rhodes has a unique perspective on the metrics used to gauge the success of the kinds of schools he now leads.
Rhodes, the president of Austin Community College, began his higher education at a community college in Alamogordo, N.M., before transferring to New Mexico State College, where he earned his bachelor’s degree. He went on to earn his doctoral degree in the Community College Leadership Program at the University of Texas at Austin. Before taking the helm of Austin Community College in September, he spent a decade as the ...
Comments (3)
Sam Davis via Texas Tribune on Facebook
Bravo, Dr. Rhodes!
Nicholas Taylor via Texas Tribune on Facebook
The assault on education in this state is pathetic. In this economy and with the ever rising cost of a college education why would anyone in their right mind assault our community colleges which provide an affordable educations? Who cares if a student leaves without formally graduating? The point should be that a student ultimately completes a degree of some sort--even if it is a a four year institution.
Jakob Tissaphernes
I think Dr. Rhodes does an able job clarifying the real work of ACC.
The underlying inpetus for the billboard, however, remains quite legitimate: outcomes in higher ed are abysmal. Whether you like the Governor's outcomes/performance centered funding, the fact is higher ed is grossly focused on inputs and the needs of tenured faculty. Outputs like certificates and degrees awarded, transfers, "edification", etc all vary in their difficulty to quantify. But I suggest try we must.