Student Success: Gordon Plouffe Named Chair of BOR Student Advisory Committee
Manchester, Conn. (October 22, 2015) – Manchester Community College student and town resident Gordon Plouffe has been elected to serve this academic year as the chair of the Connecticut Board of Regents for Higher Education (BOR) student advisory committee (SAC). Plouffe assumes the role following Sara Greco from Southern Connecticut State University who, based on committee rules, will stay on as vice chair to ensure continuity.
Plouffe is appreciative of the continuity, but he also sees the change in SAC leadership, along with the appointment of new BOR President Mark Ojakian, as an opportunity for a positive working relationship with the board.
“My role as advisory chair makes me a student regent,” Plouffe explained. “The SAC serves as a voice of the students statewide. I look forward to using my role to develop a positive relationship with my fellow regents and to work with them to help ensure that the best decisions are made on our behalf.”
His role also includes committee work – in this case, an assignment on the audit committee.
He acknowledges that his challenge is also to help students across the system to understand the way the board is structured. “The way we communicate with them and recognize the realities of their structure makes a strong impact on how things get done,” he said. “We can also use the SAC role to develop a better relationship with the legislature, and that is something else I am interested in doing.”
Plouffe holds a medical insurance specialist certificate from MCC’s Business Office Technology (BOT) program, which he was awarded in 2013. He opted also to roll the credits he earned in that program into an associate degree, which he continues to pursue part time, with the goal of becoming an administrative assistant in a medical office. He expects to graduate this spring.
He has come a long way since 2011. Plouffe originally came to MCC in 1980 after graduating from Manchester High and admits that he was not ready for college the first time around. He used up his financial aid while piecing together a 1.5 GPA, left school and went to work.
When he re-enrolled part time at MCC four years ago, he quickly emerged as a role model for other non-traditional aged students and became a mentor for many. In addition to his certification, he was the first recipient of the Vickie J. Rice Memorial Award created by the Administrative Professionals Club. He has been MCC student government association president and treasurer and is also an academic coach, enrollment coach, new student orientation leader and he serves as an intern to State Representative Kelly Luxenberg. In addition, he is a volunteer coordinator for Manchester Area of Conference of Churches charities.
According to Jason Ebbeling, executive director of the Student Success Center for the Board of Regents, “Gordon is effective at taking all the different voices he’s getting and being a passionate advocate. He has a unique ability to translate what he’s hearing and use students’ own stories to present an effective, positive case to the board.”
