“I am responsible for the successful development and coordination of adult basic education and continuing education for Baton Rouge Community College. Every day I work hard and collaborate with others to meet the current and future workforce needs of key industry sectors in the Baton Rouge region,” says Girard J. Melancon, Ph.D., executive director of Workforce Education. “I also oversee the team that manages the programing and development of over 40 different training programs that are ongoing at any given time of the year.”
Read what he has to say about community colleges.
What inspired you to work at a community college?
Working at a community college gives me the tools to help people who have no ability to be able to achieve the American dream to have the ability to achieve the American dream.
Why should someone attend a community college?
If somebody is looking to be trained, retrained and or have their skills upgraded to be gainfully employed in their community- should attend a community college that has a strong relationship with business and industry.
What are you doing to increase enrollment?
I have increased enrollment by building strong and reliable training programs that are respected by business and industry.
We also do news stories and Facebook. We are also working with churches and other community leaders.
Are there special funding opportunities for students who work full time?
We have reduced costs by utilizing various funding opportunities from the state. We schedule these training opportunities for the night, weekend and even Sunday classes to accommodate people who are working.
How are the students transitioned to a four-year college or university to further their education?
We have various partnerships with our four-year universities; however, I don’t manage those programs as the executive director of Workforce Education.
What is next for you in the field of education?
For the next couple of years I would like for us to stabilize the rapid growth of my unit. My team went from managing 350 students to about 2,800 students within a two-year time frame. I want to also increase our enrollment to 6,500 by 2018. My long-term goal is to be a chancellor/president of a community college that has an annual enrollment of around 100,000 students
