AUSTIN, Tex. — Two venerated community college leaders, Dr. John E. Roueche, the Sid W. Richardson Regents Chair in Community College Leadership at the University of Texas at Austin, and Dr. George Boggs, the president and CEO of the American Association of Community Colleges (AACC), took the stage Tuesday at the National Institute of Staff and Organizational Development (NISOD) annual conference to reflect on teaching objectives in community colleges.

 Taking inspiration from artist and educator Amado Peña, the session entitled “Conversations with Amado’s Friends: Lessons from Legends: Leadership and Learning” included an award presentation to Boggs, the 2010 Amado M. Peña, Jr. Journey of Excellence Award recipient. The award recognizes the generous contributions of individuals and organizations as mentors and advocates for students of all ages.

 Known for his groundbreaking work that has promoted community colleges as learning rather than teaching institutions, Boggs spoke about the changing national shift in attitudes toward students.

 “Teachers believed that students had the right to fail and we were only there to provide an opportunity to learn. Now we accept responsibility for whether or not our students are learning,” he said.

 Subsequently, the focus on student learning outcomes has captivated higher education across the board, according to Boggs.

 Roueche added that the popular conception that every student can learn remains under critical scrutiny by educators and others who counter that not every child is born with the same learning skills.

 “What we’ve learned is that what we’re talking about is hard work. It requires better tracking of students and asks faculty to define learning outcomes from what they teach,” he said.

 Continuing with the theme of the future of community colleges, the session, “Key Trends and Innovative Practices in Community Colleges,” featured moderator Dr. Gerardo de los Santos, president and CEO of the League for Innovation in the Community College. Panelists included Dr. Terry Calaway, president of Johnson County Community College in Kansas and Dr. Steven Johnson, president and CEO of Sinclair Community College in Ohio.