Education
BY EMILY LINCKE CONTRIBUTIONS BY HANNAH BROL
Matthew Dempsey to lead Lone Star College- University Park In December, Lone Star College o cials named Matthew Dempsey as the new president of LSCUniversity Park. Dempsey graduated from Saddleback College in California—a community college—before going on to earn a bachelor’s degree and a master’s degree. He has 25 years of experience in higher educa- tion, including work as a part-time biology instruc- tor, administrative and instructional positions at Dallas College, vice president of instruction at LSCCyFair, and interim president of LSCUP following the departure of Virginia Fraire in June. In an interview with Community Impact , Dempsey discussed his community college experience and goals for the University Park campus. What made you interested in serving as president of LSC UP? I’m a community college graduate, so I’ve seen the value of being a community college student. ... So I know it’s a great place to learn. It’s a great place to teach, and my employment history has always been with community colleges. So I learned a lot. ... I think I was just ready for that next level, that next challenge—to become a president. ... I have to tell you, from day one, this campus, this community, everything from the support sta to the faculty, it [has] felt like a very natural and good t. What are your short- and long-term priorities for LSC UP? There’s amazing work being done here at
University Park. So there’s a phrase that I’ve heard a lot since I got here—is that “Lone Star College- University Park is not a problem in need of a solu- tion.” So I think it really establishes the fact that I need to be a steward of the good work that’s already being done here. ... That makes my short-term goals really easy. I do want to make sure that I connect with our community so all of the readers out there know that we’re here for them. ... I really want to align University Park’s campus with some of the eorts that are being done at the state level to prioritize employment. So ... if our true mission at the community college level is to enhance lives, and we know that one of the ways that we can do that [is] through gainful employment, then I think it’s my responsibility as the president to make sure that I connect those two entities—local business and industry—with the output. ... Your next employee is walking across my stage in May. LSC UP recently debuted new articial intelligence and paralegal programs. Do you have any plans to bring additional pathways to LSC UP? University Park is known as the campus of innovation, and so I would expect to see some more innovative degree plans. Right now, we know that the state of Texas is prioritizing credentials of value, so I think we have to do a deeper analysis of what those credentials of value are. The other thing is to align those with what our community needs. So there are no immediate plans for expansion, but I think being the campus of innovation, I’d be hard pressed to say that we wouldn’t. LSC UP also recently opened a care center for students in need. Why are resources like this important? One of the things that we know about learning is that the holistic care of students is so important.
COURTESY LONE STAR COLLEGE
Students that are facing ... challenges other than academic ones, they need holistic care. ... So that when you’re focusing on math, you’re focusing on math—you’re not focusing about where that next meal is coming from, or whether or not you’re going to have formula for your child. So there’s a really important eort. As far as expansion of that idea, I think, right now, we’re learning how to process the requests that are coming in. I know that we’re also working with our system to make sure that we have elec- tronic devices [for students].
This interview has been edited for length and clarity. For a longer version, visit communityimpact.com .
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