Ash named IACCT 2021 top administrator

WEST BURLINGTON -Southeastern Community College (SCC) President Dr. Michael Ash was named 2021 Outstanding Chief Administrator by the Iowa Association of Community College Trustees (IACCT). This award honors college presidents who have demonstrated outstanding efforts toward promoting the values of IACCT.

Nominees are selected based in part on their contribution to developing programs and services by and advancing the causes of two-year colleges in Iowa and the nation.

IACCT has presented the Outstanding Chief Administrator Award annually since 1987.

SCC Board of Trustees Chair, Moudy Nabulsi says that Dr. Ash has always been dedicated to promoting student success. “His personal motto is, ‘It's about the students’ – and he means it 100%.”

SCC has changed dramatically since Dr. Ash arrived in 2012. His impact is visible in all aspects of the institution. Each campus now features new facilities for health careers, applied technologies, and the sciences. He entered into a public-private development partnership resulting in a new residence hall on the West Burlington campus, and in early 2021 worked with Iowa Wesleyan University administration to form an alliance between the two institutions to support students and strengthen each institution.

Through the addition and renovation of facilities and forming innovative partnerships, his work has served to advance SCC’s mission to serve and support the Southeast Iowa region through building a skilled and educated workforce.

“We also have a role to play in strengthening the economy of our area, “Ash says. “Responsiveness to our communities and our students is not an empty promise; it is our commitment.”

Dr. Ash says he is honored to accept the award and was quick to share the limelight with college staff and faculty.

“When I arrived at SCC in 2012,” Ash recounts, “I had hoped to uncord the talent and energy already present. My task was to channel it to drive positive change.”

Based in Des Moines, IA, IACCT is comprised of administrators and trustees from Iowa’s 15 community colleges and advocates for higher education and workforce-related issues in the state of Iowa.