EUGENE, Ore. — At the June 21st meeting of the Lane Community College Board of Education, President Stephanie Bulger received high marks in her first annual review from board members. Dr. Bulger was praised by LCC Board Chair Rosie Pryor for immediately identifying priorities for her first-year focus at the college. Pryor said, “There is unanimous agreement among the Board of Education that she is demonstrating the leadership that LCC needs in this post-pandemic environment.”
Pryor praised Dr. Bulger’s leadership, saying: “Community colleges all over the US are working to understand their role in a changing education and work environment. Dr. Bulger has helped the board to better understand the pressures and challenges LCC faces, as well as the opportunities LCC has, to continue to be successful.”
Pryor praised Bulger’s focus on the fiscal health of the college, calling out her retention of experts who conducted a deep dive evaluation of LCC’s financial strengths and weaknesses, and Bulger’s work with board members to establish consensus about how to take the college forward. She also praised Bulger’s “laser focus” on rebuilding enrollment. “Community colleges all over the US have suffered sagging enrollment as a result of the pandemic and LCC is no exception,” Pryor said. “Under President Bulger’s leadership enrollment is trending up once again.”
Pryor said board members are also pleased with Dr. Bulger’s use of outside experts to evaluate and make recommendations about enhancing LCC’s enrollment processes. “There is a lot of competition for students these days,” Pryor said. “And Dr Bulger’s focus on doing everything possible to make LCC easily accessible is going to help the college continue to be successful.”
LCC is Dr. Bulger’s first time as president of a community college. Prior to LCC, Dr. Bulger was Vice Chancellor of Instructional Services at the San Diego Community College District, one of the largest community college districts in California, serving 100,000 students at three colleges and a College of Continuing Education.
“I am incredibly excited to be at Lane Community College. LCC is nationally recognized as an innovative leader for its excellence among community colleges,” said Bulger. “I appreciate the Board of Education for giving me the opportunity to lead such an outstanding institution into a promising future and to work with the amazing and talented people who make up Lane Community College and the communities it serves.”
Bulger’s first year at LCC saw the groundbreaking for two new buildings on the main campus, a $32.8 million Health Profession Building and $49.5 million Industry and Trades Education Center. The college also completed nearly $10 million in improvements to the LCC Florence Center and secured the final funding necessary to begin construction of a new Federally-Qualified Health Clinic at the LCC Cottage Grove Center.
Lane Community College educates over 15,000 students annually at six locations across Lane County and online. Students and alumni from all 50 states and 79 countries create more than an $850 million dollar impact on the local economy, helping to support more than 13,000 local jobs. Lane provides affordable, quality, professional technical and college transfer programs; business development and employee training; academic, language and life skills development; and lifelong personal development and enrichment courses.