NC State’s College of Education and Belk Center for Community College Leadership and Research are pleased to announce that Mike Flores, chancellor of the Alamo Colleges District, will deliver the 2022 Dallas Herring Lecture.
Held in honor of W. Dallas Herring, the annual event invites community college leaders from across the country to address urgent and emerging topics, framing how to address the issues and proposing a path forward. The 2022 lecture, entitled Community Colleges in Action: Advancing Equity and Enhancing Economic Mobility Using Local Collective Impact Strategies, will take place virtually on Tuesday, November 8 from 1-3 p.m. EST.
Since taking office as chancellor in 2018, Flores’ vision for the Alamo Colleges District has been clear – eliminate poverty through education and training. Based on his personal experience as a child of migrant farmworkers who pursued education to gain economic and social mobility, Flores has dedicated his career to ensuring educational equity and access for all students in the greater San Antonio region.
Under his exceptional leadership, the Alamo Colleges District launched AlamoPROMISE, a tuition-free college program for graduating high school students in participating schools in Bexar County – one of the most significant educational initiatives implemented in the region. Flores is an advocate for student success through high-impact teaching and learning practices. Aligned with the vision for eliminating poverty, he also recently supported the launch of Student Advocacy Centers at each of the district’s five colleges and reduced tuition for students enrolled fully online.
In his presentation, Flores will provide a framework for implementing local collective impact strategies to advance equity and enhance economic mobility – sharing personal insights into how one district used this framework to drive real change in their community.
“As a lifelong advocate for educational access and opportunity, Mike Flores has devoted his career to improving the lives of students and residents of the Alamo Colleges District communities,” says Audrey Jaeger, W. Dallas Herring professor and Belk Center executive director. “As chancellor, his vision has empowered student success and broken economic barriers, and we are incredibly honored to have him as this year’s Dallas Herring Lecture speaker.”
The 2022 Dallas Herring Lecture is free and open to the public, but registration is required. Please register online.
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About the Dallas Herring Lecture
A Rose Hill, N.C. native, W. Dallas Herring made it his life’s work to build a system that would serve all of North Carolina’s residents by preparing them for productive work and active citizenship. Beginning in 1955, he served on the North Carolina State Board of Education for almost 25 years, during which he oversaw the development of a statewide system of technical education institutes that eventually became the North Carolina Community College System. Since 2015, the annual Dallas Herring Lecture has focused on national issues contextualized to North Carolina, inviting top community college leaders to speak on urgent and emerging topics, framing how to address the issues and proposing a path forward. The impact of the event has grown exponentially over the past several years, and has helped to elevate issues related to community colleges and led to action to address such issues in North Carolina.
About Mike Flores
Mike Flores is the ninth appointed and first Hispanic chancellor of the Alamo Colleges District. He assumed the role on October 1, 2018, after more than 20 years of service to the district. Through his leadership, the Alamo Colleges District launched AlamoPROMISE, a tuition-free college program for graduating high school students in Bexar County. He also supported the launch of Student Advocacy Centers at each of the district’s five colleges and reduced tuition for students enrolled fully online. In his first year as chancellor, Flores led the Alamo Colleges District and its five colleges to be awarded the Malcolm Baldrige National Quality Award. Other achievements during Flores’ tenure include: Palo Alto College named Rising Star by the Aspen Prize for Community College Excellence (2019); Ellucian Impact Award (2020); San Antonio College named winner of the Aspen Prize for Community College Excellence (2021); and the American Association of Community Colleges Award of Excellence for Student Success (2022). Flores is a former coach for Achieving the Dream, a fellow for the American Council on Education, Aspen Pahara Institute, and the Hispanic Association of Colleges and Universities. He is also the recipient of the Ohtli Award – one of the most prestigious awards given by the Mexican government. He serves as a board member for the Hispanic Association of Colleges and Universities, UP Partnership, United Way San Antonio, Achieving the Dream, College Board’s Community College Advisory Panel, and the World Affairs Council. Flores holds a Ph.D. in Educational Administration from the University of Texas at Austin, a master’s degree in political science from Illinois State University and a bachelor’s degree in political science from the University of Texas at San Antonio. He lives in central San Antonio with his wife and two daughters.
About the Belk Center
The Belk Center for Community College Leadership and Research develops and sustains exceptional community college leaders who are committed to advancing equitable college access and student success, the social and economic mobility of their colleges’ students and the economic competitiveness of their regions. The center provides professional development and research related to current and emerging student success opportunities and challenges facing community college leaders and policymakers in North Carolina and the nation. The Belk Center is part of NC State’s College of Education, one of the leading land-grant colleges of education in the nation. For more information, please visit www.belk-center.ced.ncsu.edu.
About the Alamo Colleges District
Like its namesake, Alamo Colleges District has its own inspirational impact on society. From their origin as a community college district in 1945 through decades of change and expansion, they have fought to make higher education accessible and affordable for all. Today, five colleges fulfill this promise with a vast array of courses and two-year degrees. A recent $450 million capital improvement project has allowed the district to create some of the best facilities for teaching and learning in the country.
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