Dr. Mike Flores, chancellor of the Alamo Colleges District, to deliver 2022 Dallas Herring Lecture

The 2022 Dallas Herring Lecture is set for Nov. 8, 2022. Chancellor of the Alamo Colleges District, Dr. Mike Flores, will deliver the keynote address titled, “Community Colleges in Action: Advancing Equity and Enhancing Mobility Using Local Collective Impact Strategies.”

The virtual event is free and open to the public, but registration is required.

Hosted by the Belk Center for Community College Leadership and Research, the annual lecture is an invitation for top community college leaders from around the country to speak on issues impacting community colleges. Speakers discuss how to address the issues in communities and on college campuses while proposing a path forward.

During his address, Flores will build a framework for using local collective impact strategies in ways that advance equity and enhance economic mobility. Flores, a child of migrant farmworkers, pursued an education to gain economic and social mobility and has since dedicated his career to ensuring students have both educational equity and access.

The annual lecture is named after the late W. Dallas Herring, whose vision and years of service culminated in the inception of North Carolina’s community colleges.

“Throughout his life’s work, Herring was guided by his vision that education should be an ‘opportunity for all the people,'” said Dr. Audrey J. Jaeger, executive director of the Belk Center. “Like Herring, Flores’ vision is to create a system that is accessible to all, and we are incredibly honored to have him as this year’s Dallas Herring Lecture speaker.”

Under Flores’ leadership, the Alamo Colleges District launched AlamoPROMISE, a tuition-free college program available to graduating seniors from the San Antonio area. According to a press release, it was “one of the most significant initiatives implemented in the region.”

Dr. Janet Spriggs, president of Forsyth Technical Community College, shares a similar vision. Spriggs is this year’s featured respondent for the 2022 Dallas Herring Lecture and will discuss advancing equity and economic mobility and highlight models being implemented in North Carolina’s community colleges.

In a previous press release, Spriggs noted the power education has to change lives and how community colleges are catalysts for inclusive excellence in higher education, workforce, and economic development.

“I have witnessed countless life-changing moments that illustrate the power of education to transform lives. As a low-income, first-generation student, education changed my life. As a leader, I am committed to a culture where inclusion is weaved into the fabric of who we are.”

— Dr. Janet Spriggs, president of Forsyth Technical Community College

This year marks the eighth annual Dallas Herring Lecture. With each passing year, Jaeger said the impact of the event grows.

“The Dallas Herring Lecture is an opportunity for community college leaders to learn and engage with emerging and enduring topics relating to community colleges. It’s also a time to dialogue about ways to address the most crucial issues impacting access to postsecondary education today. But more importantly, the event is a catalyst for change and creates opportunities for action across community college campuses.” 

Dr. Audrey J. Jaeger, executive director of the Belk Center

You may register for the event here.