Dr. Leesa Wheelahan - What Do Colleges Do and Why Do They Matter? Thinking About the Role of Colleges as Local Actors
This is the first seminar in the series on the social role of colleges offered by the Centre for the Study of Canadian and International Higher Education (CIHE). It sets the stage by arguing that the role that colleges play in their communities and regions in supporting local economic, social and cultural development is not well understood. While vocational education provision has been explored extensively, the role of institutions that offer this provision has not. This leads, we argue, to an under- appreciation of the role of colleges as institutions, as local actors that play an important role in their local regions and communities. In contrast, the role of universities and schools play as important institutions in society is explored extensively. We hope in this series to address this gap, and in so doing provide a foundation for theorising a distinctive role for colleges that goes beyond narrow preparation of students for work, to a broader more encompassing role in local and regional regeneration.
About the speaker
Dr. Leesa Wheelahan
Professor Leesa Wheelahan holds the William G. Davis Chair in Community College Leadership at the University of Toronto. She commenced her career as a college teacher in Australia, in a Technical and Further Education Institute, in the early 1990s, and has worked in or studied colleges in different systems since that time. She coordinates the Community College Leadership (CCL) PhD Cohort at 91±¬ÁÏ. The CCL was first established at 91±¬ÁÏ in 1999 under the leadership of Professor Michael Skolnik, and six cohorts and more than 20 years later, it has contributed to building capacity in Ontario's college sector.