A new book on leadership in community colleges features a section on the work AACC has done to engage students.

“Team Leadership in Community Colleges” discusses the development of the Engagement Matters program at the college.

“I’m thrilled to have the college be recognized for the work the faculty and the staff have done here,” AACC President Dawn Lindsay said. “[It’s] quite a testimony to what I always talk about: AACC being such a great school to work with.”

Engagement Matters is part of AACC’s strategic plan to help students succeed, in part, by focusing the college on equal opportunities for all students and on helping students achieve their educational goals, like graduation.

Dr. Christine Johnson McPhail, one of the book’s editors, said she included AACC’s story as a good example of team leadership.

“I think what we want to do is highlight some best practices in the book,” co-editor Dr. George Boggs said, “in terms of how a college can use leadership teams to create institutional transformations.”

Students said they are proud of the work done by the college that convinced the editors to include AACC in the book.

“If that puts us in a historical book … that was really well done by the president and I highly appreciate it because I probably wouldn’t be here” without the effort to engage students, Daniel Molla, a third-year computer information systems student, said.

Oluwagbemiga Ayeni, a third-year transfer studies student, said academic advisers on campus have helped to engage him.

“It’s always nice to have a helping hand,” Ayeni said.