Recently I had the pleasure of meeting and interviewing Dr. Kate Douglas, the President of Corning Community College. Being new the Upstate New York, she hails from Massachusetts but she is also Corning Community College’s first female president. She started her new position this past summer, but it is clear that she has acclimated well, made many new friends and is daily observed as having academic strength balanced well with grace.
A typical day for Dr. Douglas includes lots of meetings, reports, committee work, problem solving, and the budget. Every day something new and exciting awaits Dr. Douglas. But she is set apart from the average because she likes to interact with students. While making her daily rounds walking around campus and seeing what is going on it is obvious to everyone that she strives to place students first. She can be observed stopping on her daily constitution around campus and chatting with students as well as faculty and staff alike. She is interested in people and takes time out of her busy schedule to connect while assuredly tending to the job at hand. It is obvious that she works to create an organization and culture that respects all.
She commented that she wants a connection to the community that is inviting, welcoming the community to get involved in the CCC organization and infrastructure. Dr. Douglas has an open door policy to her office and frequently encourages people to stop by. I have met her several times in the short few weeks that I have joined the college campus this fall. I find her interested, inviting and energetic. Dr. Douglas shared some helpful advice personally to me as a student. She said TO believe in your dreams, remember it’s never too late for anything, always stay in touch with who you are, and never be afraid to take risks.
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