Karisma Polly
Staff Writer
On Central Campus, students gathered to meet the emerging President, Torey Alston, hear his plans for Broward College’s future, express their ideas and recommendations and ask thought-provoking questions.
At the open forum, students shared their ideas with Alston, and listened to his goals for the future of Broward College. The President also asked the students to give recommendations, share insight and ask some questions. Many students came to the open forum excited to meet the new President and eager to ask questions about any changes that could be made.
President Alston laid out his vision for Broward College’s future emphasizing both his short- and long-term goals like helping students communicate well, while also succeeding at Broward College. “I want to make sure students can communicate effectively, that enrollment increases, students get all of the things they need so they are able to get a job in the future…,” he said, highlighting priorities like enrollment growth and retention.
Looking ahead, he shared his ambition to make Broward College the premier academic institution in Broward County. “My goals really reflect what I’ve heard from the students and that is making Broward College the number one academic institution in Broward County, working with faculty, staff, students and alumni to make that happen,” he said
Alston also acknowledged some new developments that are on the way such as a robust intramural sports program and new academic programs including a new associates degree in artificial intelligence.
“There are many new offerings and programs on the academic side, that are on the way. We have a new associates degree in artificial intelligence that will begin in the fall. As it relates to additional recreation activities, I will definitely support more of that, and I am excited to roll that out hopefully very soon. Athletics is a larger conversation, but I can tell you a robust intramural program where students and faculty can compete against each other, I think is a good initial step,” said Alston. After discussing his plans for BC’S new future and the new developments, the President was happy to hear students’ opinions and requests.
Students gave many views on areas they believed could be improved at Broward College. These ideas included, but were not limited to, better access to transportation, more funding for students and international students, extra funding for clubs, and the Seahawk Marketplace, as well as additional scholarship opportunities for students. The President took students’ thoughts into consideration and gave feedback based off what they said.
Many students attended the event to hear what kind of changes the President was going to make to Broward College for the betterment of the school. “One of the reasons I came to this event was because I wanted to be able to understand President Alston’s ways of how Central Campus can be better,” said student Elijah Grant. Other students came to the event to give their ideas to the President and ask questions about the College’s future.
Looking forward to starting his journey at Broward College, Alston is excited to cooperate with the College community. “I’m really excited to work with great faculty, staff and students,” said Alston.
As he begins his tenure at Broward College, he wants students to know that he is very enthusiastic about the College, and he believes that academic excellence is a high priority. “I am looking forward to really hearing the feedback regularly from all of our students in a very unfiltered way,” he said.
caption: President Meet and Greet. Photo by Karisma Polly/The Observer
