Innovative Community College Leader to Receive National Award

Dr. Christine McPhail worked for decades to ensure access to higher education for all students

SEATTLE, April 12 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- An innovative educator who has improved teaching and learning throughout the community college movement nationwide, Dr. Christine Johnson McPhail will receive the 2010 National Leadership Award from the American Association of Community Colleges (AACC), during the association's 90th annual convention opening session on April 17, 2010, from 5:00-6:30 p.m. in the Washington State Convention Center (Ballrooms 6AB).

"Dr. McPhail has labored for decades at the nexus of practice, research and policy in community college education," said Dr. George Boggs, president of AACC. "Her stellar efforts have opened doors to higher education for thousands of students, but her work has especially benefited African-American, Latino and Mexican-American students."

Her work will be applauded by more than 1,600 community college leaders attending the convention. In addition to the announcement of Dr. McPhail's award, the session will also include a keynote address by Carlos Gutierrez, former U.S. Secretary of Commerce and the presentation of 2010 New Century Scholars, top community college students from 50 states and Guam.

Currently, Dr. McPhail contributes to practice and research in higher education as a higher education consultant and coach for Achieving the Dream: Community Colleges Count, a multi-year initiative that aims to improve student success. She is a Managing Partner for The McPhail Group and Emerita Professor at Morgan State University. She serves on the advisory committee for the National Center of Postsecondary Research at the Community College Research Center (N.Y.)

Dr. McPhail began her career in higher education in 1969 at California State University where she collaborated to launch the Ethnic Studies Program. She began her career in the community college movement at Contra Costa Community College (Calif.) in 1973 where she served on the counseling faculty staff.   She later served as dean of students at the College of Alameda (Calif.)

While at College of Alameda, she advocated for strong academic support and transfer programs for community college students. As a member of the California Community College State Athletic Commission, she worked to establish academic standards for community college student athletes. Her efforts resulted in major changes in the state athletic code.

She moved next to State Center Community College District as director of grants. She tripled the district's external grant dollars and raised support for innovative programs focused on student retention and success.  

She served as dean of students at Kings River Community College (now Reedley College). At Kings River, she established a prototype program for the retention of African-American males in community college. She also established procedures to include staff and students in shared governance activities at all levels of the college.

In 1995, McPhail became the fifth president of Cypress College, one of two colleges, in the North Orange County Community College District, (Calif.). Weeks before she assumed the presidency, Orange County, California, declared bankruptcy. She also discovered structural damage resulting from the 1992 earthquake.

During her tenure at Cypress College, she restored fiscal and structural stability. McPhail successfully obtained federal, state and county funding and collaborated successfully with legislators to rebuild the campus. A well-known fundraiser, she worked with colleagues to enhance the college's foundation resources and substantially increased the amount of dollars received annually by the college.

Her commitment to equity in higher education led her to work with faculty and staff to establish the Puente program at Cypress College to increase the number of Mexican-American and Latino community college students transferring to four-year colleges and universities.  

In 1998, she was named the founding professor and director of the Community College Leadership Doctoral Program (CCLDP) at Morgan State University (Md.).  It was the first community college leadership doctoral program to be developed at a historically black institution.

In 2007, the community college leadership doctoral program contributed to the classification of Morgan State University as a doctoral research institution by the Carnegie Foundation. Under McPhail's leadership, the CCLDP significantly increased the number of African-American men receiving doctorates in Maryland.

In 2006, the CCLDP was featured in AACC's Breaking Tradition: New Community College Leadership Programs Meet 21st Century Needs. Two CCLDP alumni were recently appointed to presidencies:  Dr. Russell Davis, President at Gloucester (NJ) and Dr. Shaun McKay, President of Suffolk Community College (NY).

Dr. McPhail's work has been recognized with the Terry O'Banion Leadership Award, the State of Maryland Governor's Citation, the Citizen Citation from the City of Baltimore, the Maryland Women for Responsible Government Leadership Award and the National Council of Black American Affairs' Pioneer Award. She has been recognized as an outstanding alumna by California State University and Fresno City College. She was also inducted into the State Center Community College Hall of Fame.

She formerly served on the AACC Board of Directors, the Advisory Council for the Community College Survey of Student Engagement, the Board of Directors of the Council for the Study of Community Colleges (CSCC) and as Affirmative Action Chair for American Education Research Association, Division J (Postsecondary Education) and the Editorial Review Board of the Community College Journal of Research and Practice. Dr. McPhail is the editor of a recent AACC best-seller, Establishing and Sustaining Learning-Centered Community Colleges.

Headquartered in Washington, D.C., the American Association of Community Colleges is the leading advocacy organization representing close to 1,200 community, junior and technical colleges nationwide. Community colleges are the largest sector of higher education, enrolling 11.8 million credit and non-credit students each year. To learn more about the AACC, visit www.aacc.nche.edu.

SOURCE American Association of Community Colleges