Alamo Community Colleges’ Chancellor Dr. Bruce H. Leslie recently presented “Achieving the Dream – Serving the Hard to Reach” at the Scottish Furthering Education Unit (SFEU) Annual Conference in Glasgow, Scotland. Similar to the American Association of Community Colleges, the SFEU serves Scotland's 48 Further Education colleges with a combined enrollment of about 500,000 students in a national population of five million.
As a guest of the SFEU, Leslie toured Anniesland College, which has a large engineering program that includes training in machinery, welding, automotive technology, electrical, ship-fitting and construction trades, as well as academic courses for university transfer. Leslie also visited a community center, similar in many ways to the ACCD's Westside Education and Training Center, located in a refurbished elementary school owned by a community-based association, and, in partnership with Anniesland College, provides short-term training in computer skills, interior design, carpentry and food service. The neighborhood where the community center is located is largely composed of asylum-seekers and immigrants from Eastern Europe and Africa.
Dr. Leslie also visited Cumbernauld College, discussing their quality and student retention initiatives. He also met with the national Deputy Director of Education/Director of More Choices, More Chances, a national government program focused on the education of 36,000 students who have dropped out of school and are not employed in the labor force.
Finally, Dr. Leslie was invited by the Principal (president) of Forth Valley College in Sterling, Scotland to join with Mr. Bruce Crawford, local Scottish parliamentary representative, to speak at the college's commencement ceremony held in Stirling Castle, constructed in the 14th century and formerly the capitol of Scotland.
Like U.S. colleges, one of SFEU’s emphases is becoming engaged and responsive to the needs of employers. Similar to U.S. colleges and schools, Scotland's colleges struggle with issues concerning dropouts, persistence, college readiness, completion and expanding education to emigrants.
There is a strong interest by the SFEU in continuing discussions with the Alamo Community Colleges to identify areas of mutual interests including program curriculum, student and faculty exchanges, quality enhancements, and staff development strategies.
Business expenses for Dr. Leslie’s trip to Scotland were covered by the Scottish Furthering Education Unit. Dr. Leslie was invited to address conferees attending the Learning and Development Agency, Northern Ireland, conference in Belfast next April.
