SCENES FROM NCE
NLU Doctorate Prepared Mitchell to Lead Joliet Junior College By Nicholas A. Love If you go back nearly two decades, you’ll be able to find NLU alum Judy Mitchell ’12 somewhere at Joliet Junior College (JJC). She originally set foot at the first public community college in the U.S. as a student. Now the president of JJC, she’s leading the very community that fostered and encouraged her growth. In a previous life, Mitchell was a stay-at-home mom on hiatus from a 10-year corporate career. Planning to transition back into full-time work, she enrolled at JJC in order to hone her competitive edge before jumping back into the corporate world. However, instead of moving back to the corporate world like she had planned, she began a whole new career at JJC. She started as an administrative assistant in the mid-1990s and worked her way through a number of promotions. In 2005, she was named director of business and auxiliary services. Those who were around Mitchell during her steady advancement at JJC encouraged her to set higher and higher goals. So when an NLU faculty member was invited to JJC to discuss community college leadership, the encounter eventually led Mitchell to pursue an Ed.D. in Community College Leadership at NLU. The doctoral experience was “intense” but a “perfect fit,” explained Mitchell. “I graduated from NLU in June of 2012 and received a vice-president role in August.” After nearly four years of service as vice president, Mitchell was offered the opportunity to serve as interim president for the junior college. She was appointed as JJC’s ninth president less than a year later.
DEAN’S PERSPECTIVE
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With this issue of the NLU alumni magazine, we celebrate our students, faculty and alumni who inspire leadership and embody the National College of Education’s (NCE) mission to develop excellent educators across their careers. NCE faculty’s unparalleled commitment delivers significant contributions to our classes every day, and the impact extends far further. Faculty research and scholarship is advancing classroom practice, and school and community leadership. » » Distinguished Professor of Practice Carlos Azcoitia, Ed.D., in his edited volume, “Creating Engagement Between Schools and Their Communities: Lessons from Educational Leaders” distills lessons from building community partnerships into a series of insightful essays by NLU alumni Francisco Borras ‘06, Karen Carlson ‘82, Judith Dymond ’14 and others. » » Professor Mark Newman, Ph.D., co-authored “Geography as Inquiry: Teaching About and Exploring the Earth as Our Home.” » » An essay by faculty members Ayn Keneman, Ed.D., Sherri Bressman, Ed.D., and their team appeared in “Voices from the Field: Collaborative Innovations in Early Childhood Educator Preparation.” The essay focused on transfer pathways between community college and NLU. We’re building partnerships with schools, districts and educational associations, including new programs in District 214 and Chicago Public Schools, where we are striving to support the need for more special education and ESL/bilingual education teachers. We’re working with the Golden Apple Foundation and other high-impact education reform organizations to support the ongoing development of teachers and leaders across our educational system. Every day, National College of Education students, faculty and alumni make a difference for countless children. We’re looking for help organizing groups of alumni in schools and communities. Interested? Reach out to us and get involved.
Mitchell is deeply grateful for the opportunity to give back to a community that has given so much to her.
“Not only do I work at an institution that has believed in me, but having the opportunity to help and support students of every age is truly a gift like no other,” said Mitchell. “I am proud of our students and our community, and that is what keeps me invested.”
Rob Muller, Ed.D., Dean of the National College of Education
National Louis University VIEW | Spring 2017 7
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