NLC VPAS Selected for Aspen Institute Rising Fellowship

Dr. Laura Boyer of Northeast Lakeview College Selected for the
Aspen Institute’s Rising Fellowship

With Wave of Experienced Community College Presidents Retiring, New Aspen Fellow  Commits to Learning the Practices of Transformational Leaders  

April 17, 2024 – The Aspen Institute College Excellence Program (Aspen) announced today that Dr. Laura Boyer, Vice President for Academic Success is one of 40 leaders selected for the 2024-25 Aspen Rising Presidents Fellowship. Applying lessons from over a dozen years researching exceptional community colleges, the Aspen fellowship aims to select and prepare the next generation of presidents who can lead institutions to higher and more equitable levels of student success.  

Many sitting community college presidents plan to retire in the next decade, creating an opportunity for college trustees and system heads to select leaders who have the skills and knowledge to achieve better outcomes for students. Aspen Presidential Fellows represent the next generation of college leadership: this incoming class of Aspen Rising Presidents Fellows is 58 percent women, and 55 percent are people of color. The institutions they represent are also diverse, located in 20 states, from small rural colleges to large urban campuses. The fellows, selected through a competitive process, will work closely with highly accomplished community college presidents and thought leaders over ten months to learn from field-leading research, examine demographic and labor market conditions in their communities, assess student outcomes at their colleges, and advance a clear vision for excellent and equitable outcomes for students while in college and after they graduate.

​“With so many community college presidents taking or nearing retirement, Aspen has a heightened sense of urgency to develop new leaders who are committed to systemic change,” said Josh Wyner, executive director of the College Excellence Program. “Community colleges have a unique opportunity to advance the talent communities need and enable the economic mobility that draws so many students to higher education. I am confident that these fellows can realize that promise—and in turn advance the entire field—by taking the lessons from the highest performing colleges and preparing to bring those lessons to their first presidencies.”

“I’m excited that Dr. Boyer has been selected for this program,” says Dr. Veronica Garcia, Northeast Lakeview college president. “With over 26 years of higher education experience within community colleges spanning across several areas, participating as an Aspen Rising Fellow will strengthen her passion for student success and prepare her for the next steps in her higher education career.”

Rising Presidents Fellows aspire to enter a college presidency within five years of completing the fellowship. As fellows, they join a network of over 350 forward-thinking peers—175 of whom are sitting college presidents—who are applying concrete, grounded, and innovative strategies to meet student success challenges in their colleges.

The Aspen Rising Presidents Fellowship is made possible by the generous support of The Andrew W. Mellon Foundation, the Burton Family Foundation, the Charles and Lynn Schusterman Family Foundation, the College Futures Foundation, the Joyce Foundation, and JPMorgan Chase. 

For bios and photos of all 40 leaders, visit highered.aspeninstitute.org/meet-the-rising-presidents-fellows. 

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About Northeast Lakeview College

Northeast Lakeview College is one of the five colleges in the Alamo Colleges District. A center for educational excellence and a Hispanic Serving Institution, Northeast Lakeview College provides access to quality academic programs and career and technical courses that prepare students for future success in in-demand careers. The College serves more than 8,200 students from northeast San Antonio and Bexar, Comal, and Guadalupe Counties. Northeast Lakeview College has two locations; its main campus in Universal City, TX  (1201 Kitty Hawk Rd.) and an off-site location in New Braunfels (2193 FM 758)

The Aspen Institute College Excellence Program supports colleges and universities in their quest to achieve a higher standard of excellence, delivering credentials that unlock life-changing careers and strengthen our economy, society, and democracy. We know it takes visionary college leaders to achieve this higher standard and we make it our mission to equip them with the knowledge, skills, and research-backed tools to inspire change, shift practice, and advance the capacity of colleges to deliver excellent and equitable student outcomes. For more information, visit our website and follow us on LinkedIn and Twitter.

The Aspen Institute is a global nonprofit organization whose purpose is to ignite human potential to build understanding and create new possibilities for a better world. Founded in 1949, the Institute drives change through dialogue, leadership, and action to help solve society’s greatest challenges. It is headquartered in Washington, DC and has a campus in Aspen, Colorado, as well as an international network of partners. For more information, visit www.aspeninstitute.org.

Media Contacts: Kathleen Labus, kjohnson-hodge@agemboutique.com, (210-486-5470) & Kristin O’Keefe, kristin.okeefe@aspeninstitute.org, (240-351-8531)