Bianca Bryant, a leader in higher education, has been named associate academic dean for dual enrollment and K-12 partnerships at Oakland Community College (OCC).
She joins OCC from Oakland University (OU) where she served as the assistant director of Outreach & Retention for the School of Engineering and Computer Science (SECS). In this post, she also served a two-year term as the SECS Diversity, Equity and Inclusion chair.
Bryant joined OCC on July 1. In her new position, Bryant will work with area K-12 school districts to help high school students get a jumpstart on their future through OCC’s Dual Enrollment program. High school students can earn college credits that can be applied to an OCC degree or certificate, or transferred to a four-year university.
“We look forward to Bianca’s leadership increasing access to higher education through dual enrollment and building meaningful relationships with our K-12 partners to facilitate a smooth K-14 transition for students in Oakland County,” said Associate Provost Jolene Chapman.
Bryant previously served as a first-year academic adviser at OU as well as holding posts as an assistant director of the Office of Career Services and career advisor at Lawrence Technological University (LTU). She also taught Collegiate Communications at Oakland University and Oppression in the United States as a graduate instructor at Central Michigan University.
Bryant is looking forward to serving as a connector between K-12 schools and OCC. The College-wide position is housed at the Orchard Ridge Campus.
“I’m very excited to be in this new role working to develop and retain OCC’s dual enrollment partnership with our K-12 schools,” she said. “One of my top initiatives is to get students enrolled early on. We want to ensure we get currently enrolled high-school students where they want to be—that may be an accelerated stepping-stone to college, trade school or OCC as their home away from home.”
Bryant earned both a Bachelor of Science in Psychology and Master of Arts in Educational Leadership from Central Michigan University. She is working on completing her Ph.D. in Educational Leadership at Oakland University.
About OCC
Offering nearly 100 degrees and certificates, OCC is Michigan’s largest multi-campus community college and No. 1 transfer institution in the state. The College provides academic, career training and enriching experiences, designed to empower students to reach their potential and enhance our community. More than 1 million students have enrolled in the College since it opened in 1965. A seven-person Board of Trustees governs OCC. Board members are elected on a non-partisan, at-large basis, serve as volunteers and are not paid. Mission statement: OCC is committed to empowering our students to succeed and advancing our community. Learn more at oaklandcc.edu.
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