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Rio Salado representative earns fellowship honor

Kate Smith to embark on 10-month program

Posted 5/17/20

The Aspen Institute College Excellence Program announced that Rio Salado Community College interim president Kate Smith is one of 40 leaders selected for the 2020-21 class of the Aspen Rising …

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Rio Salado representative earns fellowship honor

Kate Smith to embark on 10-month program

Posted

The Aspen Institute College Excellence Program announced that Rio Salado Community College interim president Kate Smith is one of 40 leaders selected for the 2020-21 class of the Aspen Rising Presidents Fellowship, a highly selected leadership program preparing the next generation of community college presidents to transform institutions to achieve higher and more equitable levels of student success.

“I am deeply honored to take part in this Aspen Rising Presidents Fellowship, especially now, as our country is grappling with COVID-19 and we are united in our efforts to create increasingly innovative ways to support and encourage student success,” Ms. Smith stated in a news release.

Ms. Smith began serving Rio Salado in 2016 as the vice president of academic affairs and has served as interim president since August of 2018.

RSC Avondale is located at 420 N. Central Ave., Avondale.

The Rising Presidents Fellows will embark on a 10-month fellowship beginning in July 2020. Delivered in collaboration with the Stanford Educational Leadership Initiative, the fellows will be mentored by esteemed current and former community college presidents who have achieved exceptional outcomes for students throughout their careers, and will learn strategies to improve student outcomes in and after college, lead internal change, and create strong external partnerships with K-12 schools, four-year colleges, employers, and other partners.

The Aspen Rising Presidents Fellowship responds to the growing need for a new generation of leaders well-equipped to meet the challenges of the future. Nationally, nearly 80 percent of sitting presidents plan to retire in the next decade. While the traditional pathway to the presidency has excluded women and people of color, the incoming class of Aspen Rising Presidents Fellows is composed of 70 percent women and 61 percent people of color and represents institutions of varying sizes and locations.

Together, the 2020-21 fellows are leaders at colleges that collectively serve more than 500,000 students. As well, 42 Rising Presidents Fellowship alumni have become presidents of community colleges that collectively serve an additional 500,000 students nationwide.