Serving
as the fifth president of Thomas Nelson Community College is wonderful. But
being the first woman and the first African-American to lead the college in
its 30-year history is terrific. Meet the wonderful and terrific Dr. Shirley
R. Pippins.
Dr. Pippins, a native
of East Chicago, Indiana, came to Thomas Nelson Community College in February
1995 from Valhalla, New York. There, she was a vice president of Westchester
Community College and dean of community services, adult and continuing education.
With a doctorate
from Columbia University, master's degrees from the University of Illinois and
New York's Manhattanville College, and a bachelor's degree from the University
of Illinois, the mother of three is well-equipped to lead Thomas Nelson Community
College, which she describes as "the Virginia Peninsula's cornerstone of
people and economic development," into the next century.
With more than 24
years of leadership, management, consulting, teaching and faculty development
experience, the college president's service has taken her to South Africa, where
she worked for the United States Information Agency as an academic specialist
in 1991. Her charge was a familiar one: to assist educators in exploring alternative
models of higher education, including community college.
Since taking the
helm of Thomas Nelson Community College, Dr. Pippins has embraced the Virginia
Peninsula community, and it has welcomed her. She serves on the boards of several
organizations, including the Peninsula Board of the National Conference for
Community and Justice-Virginia Region, United Way, and the Greater Peninsula
National Organization for Women.
One of Virginia's leading educators
shares this message with Virginia's leading students: "Keep your support
systems in place to assist you in achieving your dreams; give back to those
persons, neighborhoods and institutions that helped you achieve your dreams;
keep learning for a lifetime; establish and maintain a clear set of values;
make excellence your personal standard in all that you do; and establish a clear
vision, belief system and mission to serve as your personal compass throughout
your life."
