SPRINGFIELD, Mo. – On July 1, Ozark Technical Community College Vice Chancellor Cliff Davis started serving as the chair Missouri Community College Association’s Presidents/Chancellors Council. The chair provides leadership for the Association and represents community colleges in meetings with legislators, members of the executive branch, and other key groups.
“It is an honor to be selected and to serve in the role,” Davis said. “I look forward to leading the organization and hoping to have an impact on our state and federal legislators.”
Davis spoke fondly of MCCA as an organization with a central message that has been more and more successful in Missouri. Whereas many states have more than one association, Davis said that MCCA is central and maintains one voice for the state’s community colleges.
“We really have in the last 10 years started seeing real successes,” Davis said. “We have been successful in maintaining the success of the A+ program. The program has come under attack in the last few years, but we were able to maintain it. We had success with the legislature for equity funding this past session, which was desperately needed. It was vetoed by the governor, but we were able to get both the House and the Senate to understand the need. Those are just two examples of how one voice has been successful for Missouri’s community colleges. “
Davis said that community colleges will continue to grow because of their responsiveness to students.
“Community colleges play a huge role in higher education arena in Missouri,” he said. “Unfortunately, we aren’t funded even remotely close to equal.”
At Ozarks Technical Community College in Springfield, Davis oversees student affairs, enrollment management, research and strategic planning, grants development, enhancement, fundraising, marketing, community relations, web services, and governmental relations. Prior to joining OTC, Davis served as assistant to the president and director of governmental relations, as well as assistant to the vice president for student affairs at Missouri State University. He has also served as vice president for community development for the Springfield Area Chamber of Commerce. Davis has taught undergraduate classes in communications and marketing at both Missouri State and Drury University. He currently teaches master- and doctoral-level courses in higher education administration for Lindenwood University.
The Missouri Community College Association is a statewide organization through which Missouri’s community colleges work together to advance common agendas. MCCA provides advocacy, education, information, and networking opportunities in service of the state’s 5,700 community college faculty, staff, administrators, and trustees.
Rachael Herndon was the editor at The Missouri Times and also produced This Week in Missouri Politics, published Missouri Times Magazine, and co-hosted the #MoLeg podcast. She joined The Missouri Times in 2014, returning to political reporting after working as a campaign and legislative staffer.
Rachael studied at the University of Missouri – Columbia. She lives in Jefferson City with her husband, Brandon, and their two children.
