Michael Ritterbrown, vice president of instructional services at Glendale Community College, has been selected for this year’s Aspen Institute’s Rising Presidents Fellowship.
He is one of 35 leaders selected for the 2023-24 fellowship class. This program, delivered in collaboration with the Stanford Educational Leadership Initiative, prepares the next generation of community college presidents to transform institutions to achieve higher and more equitable levels of student success.
The fellows, selected through a competitive process, will work closely with highly accomplished community college presidents, Aspen leaders and Stanford University faculty over 10 months to learn from field-leading research, define and assess student success at their colleges, and clarify their visions for excellent and equitable outcomes for students while in college and after they graduate.
“Each cohort of the Rising Presidents Fellowship is different,” said Josh Wyner, executive director of the College Excellence Program. “And what they all share is a passion to advance excellence and equity in student outcomes and the commitment to ensure that the colleges they lead continuously improve.”
Ritterbrown’s doctoral studies focused on theories of change management and organizational structure, educational law and policy, and student success through high-impact instructional practice. Most recently, his focus has shifted to the implementation of change leading to equitable institutional and classroom practice. He has worked with others to restructure the GCC’s strategic plan and revise its mission, focusing on the implementation of Guided Pathways, active learning leading to applied knowledge, authentic assessment of learning, and restructuring and refocusing professional development.
Ritterbrown holds a bachelor’s degree in theater from University of Southern California, a master’s degree in writing from Warren Wilson College, and a doctorate in education in Community College Leadership from California State University, Northridge.
“This is an amazing opportunity to work with and learn from other community college educators from across the nation. I am grateful to GCC Superintendent/President Dr. Ryan Cornner for nominating me, and I believe that the perspective and knowledge I gain from the experience will benefit GCC and our students,” said Ritterbrown.
Rising Presidents Fellows aspire to enter a college presidency within five years of completing the fellowship. As fellows, they join a network of more than 300 forward-thinking peers — 155 of whom are sitting college presidents — who are applying grounded and innovative strategies to meet student success challenges in their colleges.
For information on the Aspen Rising Presidents Fellowship go to highered.aspeninstitute.org/risingpresidents.
First published in the April 15 print issue of the Glendale News-Press.
