MSCC President to Speak at Education-Economic Development Summit

Dr. Glen Fenter

Mid-South Community College President Dr. Glen Fenter will speak at the 2nd National Summit on the Role of Education in Economic Development in Rural America in Washington, D.C., on April 17.

Roger Sampson, president of the Education Commission of the States (ECS), invited Dr. Fenter to make a presentation with Delta Regional Authority Federal Co-Chair Chris Masingill.

“Your participation is critical...because you are a valued partner with ECS in strengthening the education system and economy in our rural communities,” Sampson wrote in an invitation letter. “I would be honored to have you present the DRA-recommended model with Chairman Masingill at the Rural Summit.”

The summit is a collaboration among ECS, the U.S. Departments of Agriculture and Education, and the White House Rural Council with a goal of accelerating the sharing and replication of successful training models.

MSCC, Arkansas Northeastern College, Arkansas State University-Newport, East Arkansas Community College, and Phillips Community College of the University of Arkansas have created a regional and national award-winning model for economic development in the region. The five-college partnership, known as the Arkansas Delta Training and Education Consortium (ADTEC), focuses on preparing the current and future workforce for existing and future industries.

“If there is a single great success story from our entire region...it’s ADTEC,” Masingill said recently. “What we’re doing here with this model is successful, and it is the No. 1 component in economic development.”

“This regional partnership of creating innovative plans, strategies, and synergies is something that is being recognized as the best model across the country,” Dr. Fenter added. “ADTEC is a proven winner, a powerful educational component, and one of Arkansas’ major success stories.”

Summit participants will engage with federal agency officials, governors, chief state school officers, state legislators, and corporate and business leaders to discuss and possibly initiate new partnerships for your community. They will also work in small groups to discuss ideas and recommendations for improved policies that would increase the alignment of education and economic development strategies in rural America.

Secretary of Education Arne Duncan and Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack will kick off 2012 event with their agencies’ response to the recommendations developed by participants of the first summit.

Last year, ECS, along with the U.S. Departments of Agriculture and Education, hosted the first rural summit for more than 130 state and federal policymakers. The presenters and participants delved into discussions on the role of education in rural economic development and strategies for public/private partnerships. This second summit will expand on the first by focusing on partnerships that have resulted in proven job creation.

The Education Commission of the States is an interstate compact created in 1965 to improve public education by facilitating the exchange of information, ideas and experiences among state policymakers and education leaders. As a nonprofit, nonpartisan organization involving key leaders from all levels of the education system, ECS creates unique opportunities to build partnerships, share information and promote the development of policy based on available research and strategies.

The ECS staff, headquartered in Denver, Col., includes educators, policy analysts, communications and technology experts, researchers and support staff. Three operating divisions work together to provide state leaders with the services and products they need to make informed education policy decisions.