031626 ~ Celebration of Women in Business - Dr. Rose Bellanca

A Celebration of Women in Business on the Lucian Land Show

During his International Women's Month, Ann Arbor's talk station, 1290 WLBY, salutes

women who are champions of innovation, service, and leadership, brought to you by old national

bank where relationships and results matter, as well as Ann Arbor's spark, celebrating

the Ann Arbor region's spirit of innovation.

Here's Lucian.

Today we salute Dr. Rose Belonka, who is in her 15th year as president and CEO of

Washington Law Community College.

She is the fourth president of our community college and the only woman to lead

Washington Law Community College since its inception in 1965.

Great to have you back with us here today on the Lucian Land Show.

Thank you so much for joining us.

Thank you. It's great to be here and congratulations to you because you're a leader

on swimming, I mean, innovative and you've really done a lot for the community.

I appreciate it. Thank you.

Thank you so much, Rose.

When I think about WCC, I think about its great, great impact on our community.

And as a leader, I think of you as someone that's on the forefront of really understanding

our economy, not just the students and where they're headed, but how the college is a driver

for our local economy.

So we're going to talk about that today.

But first, I want you to tell us about your personal journey, your early background,

and what sparked you to become an educator.

My kindergarten teacher.

How about that?

I don't know many people that started career at five, but I did.

Who was your kindergarten teacher?

Miss Mary.

That's all I remember.

Miss Mary.

And it was that.

Where was this?

It was at IndyTrite at a little Catholic school, St. Elizabeth's.

And it was the first time I ever saw a woman where high heels and so sweet.

I mean, my mom was sweet, but she was always cooking and cleaning.

And that's what did it.

But then what really did it was, and then through high school, I did everything I could do.

I tutored, I taught, cataclysm, I worked at the Recreation Center.

I did everything like that.

And then high school, and then after high school college,

and I had such a wonderful career as a teacher in K-12 for nine years,

and then spent the next probably 10 more years in K-12.

So it was a dream come true, and it still is.

So you always knew you wanted to be a teacher.

As your career evolved, what motivated you to be a leader in higher education, then?

How did that trajectory go for you?

Well, this would be, if I can give advice, I'd like to give some.

And that is, you never know who's watching.

So I was in K-12 very happy doing that, and I was giving presentations

and a community college president heard me, and reached out, and asked to talk to me,

and I ended up becoming his assistant, and changing from K-12 to higher ed.

And I thought, well, this will be a great opportunity,

because I will see how high school graduates perform in college,

and then I'll go back and become a superintendent,

and I'll have the best school district ever.

And it ended up that I stayed in higher ed, because the impact is just so powerful in higher ed.

You touched students, but you touched them through communities.

You touched them through businesses, through jobs,

through being involved in your government, in grants.

I mean, it's just so powerful.

Were there barriers?

It sounds like your career went so smoothly from the fact that you had such a great interest

as a young person. You knew what you wanted to do, and a lot of us.

And then to be singled out like that by someone in the profession,

and who mentored you, were there barriers?

Well, the first barrier was in high school,

when I didn't perform well on a standardized test in 11th grade.

And the counselor called my mother in, and me,

and told us I wasn't college material,

that I would never make it, pulled me out of all my college prep courses,

even though I was doing quite well.

Told me I should marry my husband, which I ended up marrying him,

but not because she told me, and that I should go to a business school.

Those are the days when that was the option, getting married, right?

Yes, and so I did. I went to a business school,

and it was a private school to be a secretary,

and I asked if I could teach there.

And they said, no, I had to go to college.

And I said, well, I'm not college material.

One of my classmates said, you know, there's a college called Macomb College,

and they take anybody, and they might take you.

And they did.

And I completed my, because a community college is open access.

Can you imagine?

So because of that opportunity, I was able to fulfill my dream.

I had what it took.

It was just a bad day for me to take a test.

When you think about how many people are judged, you know,

students, maybe they'd have that same experience and think,

oh, geez, somebody said I can't make it.

Do you know how many students out there you just gave great hope to today?

I hope so, because it's, yeah.

Dr. Bologna, did you ever go back to the high school

counselor and say I did make it?

I did.

You did? What was that like?

Yes. Well, well, actually, I went back to the school.

They asked me to speak, and I thought, should I tell the students,

or shouldn't I, about my experience?

And I decided to tell them, because I thought they should know, too,

that what you see at the moment, that your goals just keep persevering.

You are, you know who you are.

Don't let all that chatter sway you.

Absolutely.

We're talking with Dr. Rose Bologna, the president of Washington

All Community College.

She previously served as president of Northwood University's

West Palm Beach Campus, president of St. Claire Community College,

and provost of Macomb Community College.

Dr. Bologna earned her bachelor's, master's, and doctor of education degrees

from Wayne State University.

You came a long way from that one test that almost defined your life,

and you didn't let it define who you are.

You knew in your heart.

Let's talk about Washington All Community College.

Incredible resource, more than 140 academic programs and services,

21,000 students.

It is making a difference not only in the lives of these students,

but our local economy.

WCC is at the forefront of workforce development,

economic impact, $524 million annually in economic impact in our community here

in the regional area.

That is incredible.

It is.

With a college celebrating at 60th anniversary this year,

can you talk about the value of a college education today?

Oh, it is invaluable, and it always has been.

But I would love to.

First of all, when we talk about a college education,

an individual might think, oh, that must mean it is over with a bachelor's degree.

That must mean it is over with an associate's degree or a doctor's degree.

No, a college education is never over.

It is never over.

And for those that are listening that went to college,

forget that experience.

Because college, at least at Washington, is so different today.

The courses that you take are customized to your learning.

The semesters are different.

You can go four weeks.

You can go eight weeks.

You can go 15 weeks.

You learn online.

You can learn face to face.

You could do a combination of both.

So while you're doing that,

while we reach out in many, many ways,

what you're learning, employers are saying there are certain skills

that they need their employees to have.

And that's exactly what this college education will give you.

A high school diploma,

it's just the beginning.

And it's a great beginning.

It's a great one.

But even a certificate after high school,

just industrial certificate, or new,

I know it doesn't seem like a lot,

but $3,000 more.

An associate's degree,

$8000 to $10,000 more a year.

Oh, wow.

Just for two years.

And so if you look at that value right there,

and then if you talk about the value,

if a student decides that I'd like to have a bachelor's degree,

or I want to be a lawyer,

or you can just keep going.

And thanks to our community, it's an amazing community.

And to your point about if you went to college already,

forget about that experience.

There are a lot of older adults

who avail themselves of these services at WCC.

Absolutely.

They remake themselves.

They think about what they really want to do in their life.

Absolutely.

We have people that we have nurses

that come to become lawyers.

We have lawyers that come to learn medical terms

because they've decided they want to do something

more in the medical field.

We actually, I think it's about 15% of our students

already have a bachelor's degree.

So yeah, our average age is 25 years old.

Oh, wow.

And most of our students, about 74% are part time.

You have been a longtime advocate

for vocational education.

WCC offers more than 100 different degrees

and certificates in career and technical education fields

as well as job training to help people

get into a better paying job

and workforce development

where you help businesses with corporate training

and even design specialized programs

at the college that can address the needs of businesses

in our community today to help them attract the workers they need.

What kind of growth you see in CTE fields in the future

and how is WCC guiding that path?

Well, there is the way we're guiding the path

is we are working with CEOs

and we have been working with CEOs of companies

because they know where you need to be in two years or three years

and we want to make sure we're there when they're ready.

The way we're guiding the path is by offering courses

and programs in high wage areas

and in areas where you'll have a good, you know,

good earning potential.

For example, in the health fields,

health, rad tech, nursing,

any, oh, surgical tech, you'll get a job

before you're even done with that program.

In advanced transportation, in mobility,

you know, when we talk about mobility,

that car is the most expensive computer you'll ever own.

And when you think about what's under that hood,

it's not what was on that hood before, right?

You know, and now we're talking about cybersecurity, logistics.

We're talking about, we're talking about sustainability.

A community college prepares students for skills,

technician training.

For example, when an engineer,

an engineer designs the program,

it's the technician that tests the program.

So maybe to every engineer,

you need one or two technicians.

So that is, it's an occupation that will,

the skill trades is definitely where

the future is going.

We need so many more people in those two.

And what do you think is the best way to motivate these young people?

To have them go into that career path,

especially women.

Well, they could come to our free college day,

which is going to be April 13th through the 18th.

But the best way, I think, is experience.

I think it's good in high school.

You know, that's a very good way to enter into those.

But even afterwards, just experiencing it.

And that's where the community college comes in,

because you can take a course and just for a short term or just taste it.

There's just so many great occupations.

And we have a career placement office.

And you can do a career assessment

to find out if your skills are aligned

with something you might be interested in.

So yeah, it's just, I've always been in a non-traditional role.

You know, my background is vocational education.

So when I decided to get my degree in industrial technology,

women weren't even allowed in that program.

So I would say as a woman or even as a man, anyone,

just do what you want.

Do what you want.

Yes, right.

Yeah, do what you love.

And the money will follow, right?

Tell us more about free college day at WCC.

Free college day is week between April.

It will during community college week and our month, rather.

And it's from April 13 through the 18th.

The first five days, Monday through Friday,

those are online courses that you can take for free.

And Saturday is all day on campus.

And we have courses for students that are

from children, you know, bringing a teddy bear

and having a health check from our nursing students

to all the way to our Meredith group.

So there's something for everyone.

You can even try your hand it.

This would be good.

I'm going to try a pottery.

Can you imagine just try math?

That would be interesting.

But anyway, so.

What a great way to get introduced to the WCC life

and what it's like on campus.

And that's a beautiful campus.

You know what?

It's your college.

This is your college.

That's true.

And it's we're here for you.

For whatever phase of life you're in, we are here.

That's what what you support.

And we're appreciative.

We're talking with Dr. Rose Balanca,

the fourth president at WCC,

the only female to have led the college.

That is a distinction,

especially with 60 years now in the making

of our community college here in Washington, our county.

You, as I mentioned,

had previously served as president of a number

of other institutions as well.

How do you do all of this and maintain a work-life balance?

You know, you lost your husband a few years ago.

You have a son as well.

There's a whole other part of our lives

besides the work we do in our profession.

How do you maintain that balance?

Well, it's for me, the lines blend.

I love what I do.

I do.

And so, first of all,

I've always put my family first,

meaning my husband, my son,

and now my grandchildren.

I will drive anywhere,

do, they're close by, Bluefield Hills,

so I can go to their games.

I can be with them.

That is so valuable to me

because that's what keeps me real.

That's what, I'm a mom.

I'm a grandmother.

I mean, I never want to lose that feeling ever

and I hope I bring that to work.

I hope I do.

Because I am my job.

I am preparing lives.

I'm working with people to get them jobs

to improve their families, to improve their income.

And it's that feeling that helps me

become the leader I need to be.

It's that.

That is so important to have a leader

who has that sensibility.

Because when you lose that aspect

and you're only about work,

you're not going to be able to serve

the people that are serving you

as well as you could.

Because we all have this other life

that we have to maintain.

And it's so important

just for our overall psyche.

Yes, it really is.

So I think that's really important

that you bring that to the table.

And they actually,

I don't think my grandchildren

even know what I do for a living.

I don't think they've seen me in a suit.

Dr. Rose Balonco with us here

on Ann Arbor's talk station,

1290 WLBY.

As a woman,

what one characteristic or quality

has helped you achieve success

throughout your career?

And is there a leadership lesson

you've learned that is unique

to being a female leader?

Probably, it would be listening.

Seeking, you know,

I know this is Covey,

but seeking to understand

before being understood.

That is probably the one lesson

that has helped me.

The times that I've cut that short,

I have learned that was not the right decision.

To take the time to understand the situation

before you comment.

Don't always feel that, you know, I had to.

And just being a real person

and understand you're going to make mistakes.

And those people that work with you

everyone comes to work.

I believe to try does their best.

But they're going to make a mistake.

One doesn't matter when they don't learn from it.

That's when it matters.

If people learn from their mistakes,

it was a gift.

That mistake was a gift.

So I think that's what has helped me the most.

Is forgiving myself for mistakes

and learning from them

and understanding the people that work with me

are human beings too.

And we just try our best.

A great life lesson for all of us.

Dr. Rose Bologna president

at Washington Community College

as we salute her as one of our female leaders in our community

on this International Women's Business Month

and our celebration of women in business.

Thank you so much.

Thank you.

You're listening to Ann Arbor's talk station,

Balucyan Lance Show, 1290 WLBY.