On May 21, 2010, I had the opportunity to deliver my inaugural address as the seventh President of Clinton Community College. It was a chance for me to reflect on the history of Bluff Point and Clinton Community College, to celebrate our current successes, and to envision the future of the College and the community we serve.
In Dickens' A Christmas Carol, Ebenezer Scrooge also has the opportunity to reflect on matters from his past, his present and his future. Terrified by images of the future shown to him by the Ghost of Christmas Yet to Come, Scrooge asks the Ghost, "Are these the shadows of the things that will be, or are they shadows of things that may be, only?” He goes on to suggest an answer to his own question: “Men’s courses will foreshadow certain ends, to which, if persevered in, they must lead,” said Scrooge. “But if the courses be departed from, the ends will change. Say it is thus with what you show me!”
Earlier this spring, I participated in Vision 2040, an ongoing discussion of the future of Clinton County and the North Country. Like the shadows revealed to Scrooge by the Ghost of Christmas Yet to Come, the demographics projections for Clinton County are unsettling, to say the least. One projection is that by 2035, there will not be a sufficient number of workers in the age range 25-49 to sustain the economy and maintain our current quality of life. However, like Scrooge, community leaders here are asking whether this is the future that will be, or is it the future that may be. Having only adopted Clinton County as my home a year ago, even I know that this community, like Scrooge, has already answered its own question. This community is especially adept at creating its own envisioned future, rather than passively accepting the one that seems inevitable.
When the original Hotel Champlain was destroyed by fire 100 years ago, this community could have accepted defeat and called it the end of an era. Instead, a brand new Hotel Champlain was built on the same site and opened for business in June 1911, just one year after the fire closed the 500-room luxury resort. The Hotel operated for another 40 years on Bluff Point before it became home to Bellamine Jesuit College and later Clinton Community College.
In a similar story, the Plattsburgh Normal School burned to the ground in 1929. Some suggested that the catastrophe would result in the relocation of the teachers' college to Glens Falls, accepting that fortune had forsaken Plattsburgh and Clinton County. However, the community rallied and rebuilt the Normal School in Plattsburgh by 1932. In 1948, the Plattsburgh Normal School became part of the State University of New York and is now better known as Plattsburgh State University, a cornerstone of our community.
When the Plattsburgh Air Force Base closed in 1995, this community could have resigned itself to an unhappy future. Instead, community leaders formed the Plattsburgh Airbase Redevelopment Corporation (PARC) and transformed the former airbase into the home for a diverse set of businesses and industries, including international companies who have chosen this place to locate their facilities.
As in the three examples listed above, I am convinced that this community will rise to the challenges that face us and create a brighter future, even in the face of unsettling predictions. Already community leaders are developing strategies to attract and retain young professionals, entrepreneurs, and their families to this area. Like the Scrooge who awoke on Christmas morning, determined to create a different future than the one that was shown to him, this community is taking bold strides to change the course of history. Through its educational institutions -- K-12 schools, CV-TEC, Plattsburgh State University and Clinton Community College -- we are developing a well trained and well educated workforce. This ready workforce, along with our geographic assets, will draw even more high quality employers to this region. As business and industry located and expand here, our economy will thrive. As our economy thrives, our quality of life will be sustained, and our community will be strengthened.
With these three efforts in mind -- workforce development, economic development, and community development (i.e., quality of life) -- Clinton Community College is committed to being a leader and a partner in and for our community. In upcoming posts, I plan to elaborate on the contributions that we intend to make. After all, "Community" is our middle name.
That's what I think. Please let me know what you think. I welcome your response via e-mail at presidentsblog@clinton.edu.
Posts
