From the President
And so it began, the Google/Adrian College partnership that now gives our students the opportunity to enroll in five computer science courses. The unique advantage we offer students in these classes is that they are taught on-campus, by Adrian College faculty, using online curricula designed by Google programmers and engineers with input from internationally renowned programmers and educational consultants. Next fall, twenty schools will join our consortium. This program is extremely attractive to bright high school students who want to combine an on-campus liberal arts experience with a cutting-edge information technology curriculum capable of preparing students to work in Silicon Valley, still the site of the fastest job growth in the country. In addition, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics says the employment outlook in software and programing careers remains strong. What an opportunity for our students. I had one of these opportunities two years ago on an airplane ride to Mackinac Island in northern Michigan. I sat next to a gentleman named Cyrus Mistry, a successful Google executive who loves education, new ideas, creative endeavors and a good laugh. Cyrus and I hit it off splendidly, and it soon became clear to both of us that our plane ride would not be long enough to solve many of the problems that challenged both of our institutions. For Google, the problem centered on the talent gap and the company’s need to find more capable employees to fill the thousands of jobs that sit open month after month. Google simply cannot hire enough college graduates who are “Google ready” and capable of making a meaningful contribution to the company soon after graduation. For Adrian College, the challenges will always be student enrollment and the need to find academically gifted high school students who yearn for a private residential liberal arts experience during their undergraduate years. Two weeks after our flight, Cyrus and I reconnected for lunch. After considerable thought, we realized instead of having two separate problems, we had an opportunity. What would happen, we asked one another, if Google partnered with Adrian College to teach computer science, and then we shared this curriculum with small liberal arts colleges all over the country? The answer was Adrian could offer computer science courses from one of the top companies in the world for very little cost and Google could fill its vacant jobs with liberal arts majors from all over the United States.
None of this would have happened if not for the random seating arrangement in a small plane bound for Mackinac Island. Lucky us. But it is also lucky for our students who can now weave an innovative curriculum in data science through their more traditional liberal arts core classes. We saw the opportunity, we jumped on it, and we are now reaping the benefits of two great institutions — Google and Adrian College — working side-by-side to provide educational opportunities to students that were not available only a few years ago. Historically, the term opportunism had a positive denotation. It meant being able to change your methods or tactics when new circumstances arise. Opportunity often presents itself in the form of people who pop up in our lives for a short time and then disappear as quickly as they arrive. For those who keep their eyes open, their antennae up, their minds sharp and their willingness to take risks keen, great things can happen — opportunism at its best. This is what we are doing during these exciting years at Adrian College. We try to grab fast-moving opportunities,
use them to enhance our campus and our academic offerings, and surround ourselves with outstanding bright individuals (like Cyrus and our friends at Google) to create meaningful change for everyone. Sometimes it works, sometimes it doesn’t, but we never stop trying. So far, the responses we’ve received from students, families, friends and benefactors to the College are very positive. If you have an idea or know of an opportunity that can help Adrian College, we would love to hear from you. Our progress is noteworthy, but we remain humble and willing to listen to any opportunity that makes sense for AC.
Thank you,
Jeffrey R. Docking, Ph.D. | President
adrian.edu
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