Riverland Community College President Terrence Leas has agreed to serve as a member of the American Association of Community College’s (AACC) Commission on Global Education for a three-year term beginning July 1.

The AACC Board has authorized seven commissions encompassing a variety of topic areas including: academic, student and community development; international/intercultural services; learning and communications technologies; minority resources; publications and public relations; research.

“The issue of global education is huge for community colleges,” said Leas. “As baby boomers retire and fewer students enter the K-12 system, the gap between jobs and qualified workers will widen. Not only must we do the best job we can in educating and preparing U.S. students to compete in the global economy, we must also be ready to import workers. We will need to address how do we attract and retain workers from other countries.”

Leas holds a Ph.D. in higher education administration from Florida State University, a master’s degree in educational administration and supervision from Valdosta State College in Georgia, and a bachelor’s degree in social science education from Florida State University. He has been president at Riverland Community College since July 2003.

Founded in 1920, the American Association of Community Colleges (AACC) has, over four decades, become the leading proponent and the national “voice for community colleges.” Today, the association represents almost 1,200 two-year, associate degree–granting institutions and more than 11 million students, as well as a growing number of international members in Puerto Rico, Japan, Great Britain, Korea and the United Arab Emirates. The colleges are the largest and fastest-growing sector of U.S. higher education, enrolling close to half (46 percent) of all U.S. undergraduates.