Selden, NY –Dr. Shaun L. McKay, President of Suffolk County Community College, has been selected to serve as a member of the American Association of Community Colleges (AACC) Steering Committee for its 21st-Century Initiative. Dr. McKay has also been appointed to one of the implementation teams and will work on Initiative #2, “Re-imagining Student Pathways.” Over the coming year, the Steering Committee will expand on the work of the 21st–Century Commission on the Future of Community Colleges by focusing on the implementation strategies outlined in the Commission’s report: Reclaiming the American Dream: Community Colleges and the Nation’s Future. This work promises to shape the efforts of nearly 1,200 institutions of higher education serving over 13 million students – almost half of all U.S. undergraduates. The Steering Committee will coordinate the work of the various implementation teams charged with specific tasks; determine how progress on the implementation and impact of the Commission report will be assessed and reported to the community college field. 

Each of the implementation teams will address designated recommendations and forward strategies to the Steering Committee, which will then synthesize them and present a final report to AACC President and CEO Walter Bumphus, who will chair the Steering Committee. Seminole State College of Florida President E. Ann McGee, co-chair of the Steering Committee, said the 21st-Century report outlines areas where community colleges are very successful and some where they are coming up short. “The Steering Committee’s primary responsibility will be to construct a road map with a variety of streets, avenues and lanes that colleges can adopt as they seek to enhance student success and create the pathway to success for their students,” she said. As a member of the Implementation Team for Re-imagining Student Pathways, Dr. McKay’s work will include defining methods for increasing completion rates of students earning community college credentials (associate degrees and certificates) by 50% by 2020, while preserving access, enhancing quality, and eradicating attainment gaps associated with income, race, ethnicity, and gender.

The Implementation Team for Re-imagining Student Pathways will also construct coherent, structured pathways to certificate and degree completion with the goal of incorporating highimpact, evidence-based educational practices; integrating student support with instruction; rigorously evaluating the effectiveness of programs and services for students and ending ineffective practices. The work of the Steering Committee and its implementation teams is crucial to helping not only individual colleges but the community college movement as a whole,” added Rey Garcia, president of the Texas Association of Community Colleges who will also serve as co-chair of the Steering Committee. “The 21st-Century report laid out a substantial challenge to all community college leaders across the country,” Garcia said. “It’s our opportunity to take charge.” Dr. McKay noted, “Students today face a growing number of challenges and they need the resources that community colleges offer. The task of the committee members is to ensure that we maintain academic rigor, be creative yet cost-effective as we develop student success measures that can be easily adopted, implemented and 

progressively assessed.” Photo Caption: Dr. Shaun L. McKay, President of Suffolk County Community College, will serve on two national committees. About Suffolk County Community College Suffolk County Community College (SCCC) is the largest community college in the State University of New York (SUNY) system, enrolling approximately 26,000 students at its three campuses in Selden, Brentwood and Riverhead. SCCC offers the Associate in Arts (A.A.), Associate in Science (A.S.), and Associate in Applied Science (A.A.S.) degrees, as well as a variety of certificate programs. 

Offering the lowest college tuition on Long Island, a highly respected Honors program, extensive extracurricular activities, championship athletic teams, and numerous transfer programs, SCCC is a first-choice college for Long Island students. Visit us online at sunysuffolk.edu.