Springfield, MA, October 09, 2017 –(PR.com)– The National Association for Community College Entrepreneurship (NACCE) Announces 2017 Entrepreneurial College and Entrepreneurial President at Its 15th Annual Conference
Hagerstown Community College and President Ben Dillard of Florence-Darlington Technical College Receive Top Honors
The National Association for Community College Entrepreneurship (NACCE), the nation’s leading organization focused on promoting entrepreneurship through community colleges, has named Hagerstown Community College (HCC) in Hagerstown, Maryland, as its 2017 Heather Van Sickle Entrepreneurial College of the Year at its 15th Annual Conference, now underway in Tampa, Florida. Ben Dillard, Ed.D., president of Florence-Darlington Technical College (FDTC) in Florence, South Carolina, has been named NACCE’s 2017 Entrepreneurial President of the Year.
2017 Heather Van Sickle Entrepreneurial College
“It is a pleasure to recognize this outstanding college, which was selected by an independent judging panel, as the winner of the Heather Van Sickle Entrepreneurial College Award,” said Rebecca Corbin, Ed.D., president and CEO of NACCE. “Hagerstown Community College has done an exceptional job of infusing entrepreneurship in its culture and community and paving the way for students to think and act entrepreneurially.”
HCC’s being selected NACCE’s 2017 Entrepreneurial College of the Year is a testament to the leadership of President Guy Altieri, Ed.D. Altieri, who has been president at HCC for 16 years, credits the award to the college’s ability to respond entrepreneurially to change. “Today, we are data-driven. While data can drive institutional direction, you have to test the assumptions that the data presents,” he said. “Changes in students needs, funding, economic fluctuations in the community, and employer requirements all are areas where community colleges need to be entrepreneurial.”
HCC, which is located in Hagerstown, Maryland, was founded in 1946 and is the oldest community college in the state. In many ways, its roots are entrepreneurial, having been formed at the urging of a group of World War II veterans who returned from the war looking for training in math and science to continue working with technologies they learned during their military service.
2017 Entrepreneurial President
“President Ben Dillard of Florence-Darlington Technical College has led an aggressive effort to establish an entrepreneurial culture over the past four years,” said Rebecca Corbin. “The faculty and staff continue to find novel ways to add to the economic vibrancy of the college and local community and ignite student excitement and enthusiasm for entrepreneurship.”
FDTC’s advanced technology center has six business units, each generating revenue for the college in addition to providing venues for education and training. “Funding reductions from our states have driven many community colleges to seek other revenue sources, thus pushing us to be more innovative and entrepreneurial,” said Dillard. “It’s amazing how many entrepreneurial opportunities we have when we concentrate our efforts.”
About NACCE
NACCE is an organization of educators, administrators, presidents and entrepreneurs focused on inciting entrepreneurship in their community and on their campus. NACCE has two main goals: to empower the college to approach the business of running a community college with an entrepreneurial mindset; and to grow the community college’s role in supporting job creation and entrepreneurs in their local ecosystem. NACCE has over 330 member colleges, representing nearly 2,000 members and approximately 3.3 million students.
For more information, visit www.nacce.com. Follow us on Twitter at @NACCE, like us on Facebook, and join our LinkedIn group.
Contact:
Rebecca Corbin
856 404-0388
corbin@nacce.com
Contact Information:
National Association for Community College Entrepreneurship
Carol Savage
978-857-1473
Contact via Email
www.nacce.com
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