Investor Profile: Manatee Community College
Fall means back to school at Manatee Community College (MCC). The 53- year old institution is the oldest in the region and now spans three campuses with more than 10,000 degree seeking students.
"Success is measured in how we fulfill our mission, which is growing in the way your community needs us to grow," said Dr. Sarah Pappas, MCC president.
According to Dr. Pappas, our community continues to need more nurses and to fill that demand, MCC tripled the number of nursing graduates in the past five years from just over 100 to more than 320. In addition, MCC contributes to the pool of dental hygienists, occupational and physical therapists, and educators. The educational institution also partners with a consortium through Hillsborough Community College for a campaign that illustrates the availability of well-paying manufacturing jobs—again in response to the community’s need for a skilled workforce.
When asked how the institution knows about these needs, the answer was simple: the Economic Development Corporation (EDC) of Sarasota County. MCC and the EDC work closely together on many levels. First off, MCC is an EDC investor. Why? “Because belonging to the EDC has given us incredible insight. We hear more about the needs of business and industry when we are connected to them through the networking and events hosted by the EDC,” says Dr. Pappas. “In fact, the EDC influenced our decision to open the Lakewood Ranch campus.”
The reason she believes higher education and economic development go hand in hand is because “both allow you to enjoy a better quality of life.” So, her roles as college president and incoming Chair of the EDC go hand in hand.
Dr. Pappas says as Chair she will first and foremost follow the strategic plan, adding that she’s taken some of what she’s learned from the EDC’s planning process to MCC in the creation of its own strategic plan. Also on her agenda is educating all residents of Sarasota County that supporting growth means supporting the health of our community. When you have economic growth you have a healthy community.
Here’s where Dr. Pappas turns the conversation over to Carolyn Griffin, Assistant Director of the Small Business Development Center (SBDC), as another example of how supporting economic growth through business is good for the community. MCC supports a partnership with the Small Business Development Center, which Griffin describes as, “a nationwide network of centers that provide assistance to small businesses.”
The SBDC provides counseling in business planning, finance and marketing issues for new and existing entrepreneurs. For the first half of the year more than 600 counseling hours were logged by the SBDC. Regular workshops are offered at the chambers in Venice, Sarasota and North Port. Corporate and community development provides workforce solutions, personal enrichment and professional development opportunities to residents of Manatee and Sarasota counties. During 2006-07, more than 13,600 students were served in these types of classes, many of them offsite.
