BIOGRAPHY

ROLAND J. CHAPDELAINE, Ed.D.

Dr. Chapdelaine has held increasingly progressive positions in the community college area for over thirty years. His doctoral work is in the application of behavioral learning theory as applied to teaching undergraduate Biology to non-majors. Significant course work was also done in Fisheries Biology, Experimental Psychology and Natural Resources. He has taught a variety of Biology courses. Chip, as Dr. Chapdelaine prefers to be called, is passionate about the community college movement, believing that the creation of the Community College movement was one of the most important actions taken in the history of education. The community college is truly the “Communities” college and is reflective of the community it serves.

WORK HISTORY

Cuyahoga Community College – Cleveland, Ohio

Served as President of the East campus, one of four campuses in the Cuyahoga Community College system, the East campus is located on a 90 acre site with an enrollment of over 6,500 students. Presently developing the campus as a “Destination for Learning.” The campus will be developing as a life-style center focusing on Wellness in the broadest context. Major enrollment programs include: transfer, Liberal Arts, Information Technology, Industrial and Interior Design, Health Careers, Horticulture, Massotherapy, Science and Engineering.

Rock Valley College – Rockford Illinois

Served as President of Rock Valley College. Several noted accomplishments include over sixty-million in facility growth and improvements, over twenty-percent enrollment increase, an increase of seven-million dollars in Foundation giving, the addition of twelve new occupational and transfer programs, renovation of the Starlight Theatre, acquisition of thirty-million in state funding for a fine and performing arts center, expanded services to Business and Industry, and achieving an agreement to have Northern Illinois University offer six upper division Bachelors programs on the Rock Valley Campus. Rock Valley has an approximate enrollment of 20,000 students and an annual operating budget of thirty-four million serving a district of over one thousand square miles and a population of over 340,000.

Cumberland County College – Vineland, New Jersey

As President of Cumberland County College, we served a rural district with a population of approximately 150,000 with an annual operating budget of fourteen-million and a headcount enrollment of over seven-thousand students. Building a fine and performing arts center, an aquaculture research and application facility as well as acquiring over thirty-million in facility and renovation dollars, increase in foundation assets, enrollment increase of fifteen-percent, creation of a business and continuing education division as well as playing a major role in economic development for the region are several noted accomplishments.

Mohave Community College – Kingman, Arizona

Served as College Vice President for a district covering over thirteen-thousand square miles, with an annual enrollment of over ten-thousand students. The four campus deans reported directly to the vice president. In addition to the campuses, the college provided services to thirty extension sites including three Native American Reservations. Accomplishments included adding a fourth campus located north of the Grand Canyon, expansion of the distance learning facilities and programs, securing funding for a computerized developmental studies success center, developing a unified campus budgeting system and adding several new programs including casino slot machine repair, dealer training, security, hospitality and an elder hostel program.

Howard Community College – Columbia, Maryland

Served in several capacities including associate professor of biology, cluster and division chair, acting dean of students, acting director of staff development and dean of instruction and academic affairs. Howard Community College, in the early nineteen-eighties, had a head count – credit and non-credit enrollment – of approximately fifteen-thousand students. The creation of the first off campus Corporate Training Center, acquisition of a cable educational channel, development of a performance based educational and compensation plan, developing a nature preserve on campus, securing state approval for such programs as bio-medical technology, horticulture, performing and fine arts, ophthalmic assistant and integrated science are some of the initiative that were noteworthy.

Education

• Ed.D. Ball State University 1976 Major: Biology
• M.S. Ball State University 1969 Major: Biology
• B.A. Providence College 1968 Major: General Science

Community Activities

Most recently served on several economic development boards: Board of Directors Beachwood Chamber of Commerce, Rockford Area and Convention Bureau, Rockford Health Systems, Rockford Area Arts Council, Rockford Area Results Coalition, Futures Group, Regional Improvement Centers of Excellence, Chamber of Commerce, Manufacturing Council, United Way Services of Rock River Valley, Armed Forces Memorial Foundation, Illinois Council of Presidents (chaired legislative Council for three years) and the Mayor's Downtown Revitalization Study Committee.

Personal

Chip and his wife, Pam, have been married for thirty-five years. Pam is a special education teacher. They have two children, Eric, a mechanical engineer in Los Angeles and a daughter, Denise, an occupational therapist living in Rockford, and a very special granddaughter, Mckena. Dr. Chapdelaine was born in western Massachusetts and is the oldest of eleven children. Joseph Chapdelaine and Sons Construction is the family business.