
Dan Heitzenrater introduced Jessica Kubiak the Vice President of Academic Affairs at Jamestown Community College.
Jessica joined JCC in 2010 as the inaugural coordinator of experiential learning. In her years with JCC, she oversaw areas including undergraduate research, the honors program, service learning, and student internships. She then spent several years as a full-time faculty member in the English department on the college’s Cattaraugus County Campus. She has been a program coordinator and director, and she served for two years as the Dean of the Arts, Humanities, and Health Science division. Jessica has won state and national awards for her teaching of first-year writing and recently earned her Ph.D. in English with a focus on rhetoric and composition from Old Dominion University in Virginia. She currently lives in Allegany, NY.
Jessica gave an overview on her family history. She was born in Olean NY and grew up in Bradford PA. Jessica is very new to this position and covers a wide range of services provided by the college. She is mission driven and a change agent. Her life experiences impacted her professional outlook.
Her early life and adulthood was difficult. She did well academically throughout her youth. She dropped out of college to help her mother out. After getting married and having 2 children she returned to college for her undergraduate degree. She was offered an opportunity to go to a PhD program. She could not go due to her being a single mother and taking care of a sister who was undergoing cancer treatment. She received a Masters degree from Buffalo State.
She has a set of core beliefs and values. Everyone can learn, learning is a function of emotional engagement and reflection, school should not be disconnected from life, knowledge should reflect diversity. Although she is in her first year as the Dean she has been at JCC for 15 years. They have a plan for expanding credits for previous learning and experience. She believes you need to combat student inertia. Challenges include the lack of NYS support.
QUESTIONS:
Paulette Kline asked what programs would you add to help students? Jessica indicated a good first step would be to find out what each student’s goal is the better. Getting into internships early.
Marion Beckerink asked whether Jessica feels they are being successful on the enrollment front? The funding from NYS is flat but the counties are increasing aid. They have to be careful to not increase enrollment but not increase revenue.