Letter from the Executive Director - Lillian De Lisle

In my tenure at CCBO, I’ve had the pleasure of attending several state business officer meetings, playing euchre with the ICCCFO group in Illinois and enjoying the gulf coast with the TACCBO folks in Texas. Most recently I met many of the business officers in the state of New York at their Spring NYSCCBOA meeting. It was a great conference with sessions on topics ranging from creating master plans to implementing Open Education Resources on campus to benchmarking your employee benefits - all topics I’m sure many of you are facing on your campuses regardless of what state you reside in.

Ever since coming back from that meeting, I feel reinvigorated with a new sense of how a national organization like CCBO can better partner with state organizations. Both have their value, and how can we maximize both so that community colleges have the best possible resources at their fingertips? Access to capital project funding, legislative decisions, and local networks are important. A national network with resources on trends, innovations, and business continuity is powerful and in this day in age, more necessary than ever. How can the two better leverage each other? These are the questions CCBO will be exploring in the coming months, and I’d also encourage you to explore them. 

Do you know someone with great leadership potential in your state network? Encourage that person to attend the Leadership Academy this Fall to prepare them to take on an executive level role. Better yet, support your state system’s overall business continuity and succession planning by asking your state to sponsor individuals to attend the Academy. 

Has your college, or a college in your state, implemented a new program, system or process, or budget model that is creative and innovative? Encourage your colleagues or your team to submit a proposal for a webinar, Bottom Line article, or nominate for CCBO’s Exemplary Practices Award. Community colleges work best when collaborative - so share your insights with your fellow CCBO members!

Need some support on a new directive from your President or a challenge you’re facing? Tap into your CCBO resources by calling a fellow CCBO member or attending our Annual Conference in Phoenix this September. Enrollment management, affordability, and maximizing efficiencies in both space and financial resources are just some of the topics discussed at this year’s conference. Check out the CCBO website for the full schedule and educational topics.

These are just some of the ways that you can leverage both your state network and your CCBO network to be stronger together to ensure strong, successful, and sustainable community colleges across the country and in your home state. 

I look forward to continuing the conversation and hope to see you this fall in Phoenix!