A new leader is steering Keweenaw Bay Ojibwa Community College toward its next chapter.
Melissa Kiesewetter has been president of KBOCC for seven months, and she’s already immersed herself in understanding the unique challenges and opportunities facing rural community tribal colleges. Her diverse background in higher education administration, collaboration with tribal governments, and state services positions her well for the role.
“The energy that this community here within the college on all of our campuses brings is something that is unprecedented,” Kiesewetter said. “I’ve not worked in a space in my career where the energy and the vibe is truly focused on student success and providing the services that we do in the most exemplary manner.”
Kiesewetter’s career reflects her commitment to education and tribal communities. She previously served as a tribal liaison with MI-LEAP, building relationships between the state of Michigan and the 12 sovereign nations. She also administered the Michigan Indian Tuition Waiver Program. Before her work with the state, she held positions at Illinois State University, Michigan State University, and Albion College.
“My background is actually in higher education administration,” Kiesewetter explained. “My academic training and part of my career background came from higher education, and I’ve spent a number of years in various institutions and universities such as private colleges and four-year universities. My career then transitioned to tribal education and tribal government, as well as state government.”
Like community colleges across the nation, KBOCC faces resource constraints and geographic challenges. Kiesewetter and her team have spent the past seven months identifying priorities for the college’s future.
“We struggle like everyone else does when it comes to resources and supplies and services that can come to campus in a timely manner,” Kiesewetter said. “But when we also think about where and how we draw our student population from, it forces us to be creative in terms of the programs that we offer, the certificates and the degrees that we offer.”
The college is pursuing strategic partnerships to expand opportunities for students. “We are currently in conversation with Northern Michigan University,” Kiesewetter noted. “We know that that’s a little bit further away for our students, but we are really excited and encouraged about the relationships that we’re building.”
KBOCC currently has multiple articulation agreements with Northern Michigan University for bachelor degree pathways in environmental science, early childhood education and psychology. These agreements help students easily transition to a four-year college program after completing an associate’s degree at KBOCC.
Kiesewetter has identified three key areas for focus during her early tenure: maintaining and upgrading the college’s infrastructure across multiple facilities, securing funding to expand student support services, and sustaining recent growth through program development and partnerships with higher education institutions.
“We operate a number of other buildings that are not right here at this particular facility,” she said. “So wanting to ensure that our facilities are up to par because as we continue to grow, our infrastructure needs to meet that and needs to support it. We are focusing on space and infrastructure, efficiency, and also growing our staff and our employee base in a way that is properly aligned with the needs that we see are going to be facing us in the next couple of years.”
The college’s commitment to student success extends beyond academics. KBOCC Student Success Services include in-person support at the student success center and 24/7 online tutoring at no cost to students. The college also partners students with success coaches who discuss career options and pathways for achieving academic goals. Additional services include mentoring, test preparation, transfer planning, and resume development.
KBOCC offers ten degree programs ranging from business to nursing and early childhood education. The college also provides thirteen certificate programs, partners with the CCISD CTE program, and operates an early college program for students pursuing higher education. This spring, the college held its first pinning ceremony for nursing program graduates, marking a significant milestone in the college’s growth.
For more information about Keweenaw Bay Ojibwa Community College and its programs, visit the college online.
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