Dr. Walter Bumphus, chair of the Department of Educational Administration in the College of Education at The University of Texas at Austin, has been invited by the White House to participate in the White House Summit on Community Colleges on Tuesday, Oct. 5.
Dr. Jill Biden, who is chairing the summit, said the event brings together federal and state policymakers, business and philanthropy leaders, and community college faculty and students to discuss how community colleges can ensure the U.S. has the most educated workforce in the world. President Barack Obama has emphasized the critical role community colleges play in developing America’s workforce and reaching the country’s educational goals.
Bumphus, who has been with The University of Texas at Austin since 2007, recently was elected president/CEO of the American Association of Community Colleges and will take that position next January.
As chair of the College of Education’s Department of Educational Administration, Bumphus has led an academic unit that includes the number one community college leader preparation program in the nation, top principal and superintendent preparation programs, the University Council for Educational Administration and a group of scholars whose research is advancing knowledge on student achievement gaps. Bumphus also is a professor in the top-ranked Community College Leadership Program, which includes the Center for Community College Student Engagement.
Before joining the university, Bumphus was system president of the Louisiana Community and Technical College System (LCTCS), which at the time included about 51,000 students. He received national recognition for his leadership of the LCTCS’s seven community colleges, two technical community colleges and 40 campuses after hurricanes Katrina and Rita.
Community College Leadership Program graduates George Boggs (president/CEO of the AACC), Jerry Sue Thornton (president, Cuyahoga Community College), Richard Rhodes (president, El Paso Community College), Myrtle Dorsey (chancellor, Baton Rouge Community College) and Gerardo de los Santos (president/CEO of the League of Innovation) also have been invited to the White House summit.
