LBW Community College’s Dr. Arlene Davis is the 2018 recipient of the Innovation Champion Award.

This employee recognition program provides an opportunity to showcase innovations employees have successfully designed and implemented which positively impact the College.

The award recognizes Davis, associate dean for institutional advancement, for her role in the development of a summer incentive grant that benefited 40 students and resulted in a 44 percent increase in LBWCC’s enrollment from the previous year, the highest summer increase in the state’s two-year system.

By way of this recognition, Davis is also named as the College’s choice for the national John & Suanne Roueche Excellence Award established by the League for Innovation to recognize faculty, staff, and administration for excellence in leadership and innovation in higher education. She will be recognized at the League for Innovation’s conference in New York City in February.

“Dr. Davis approached me with the idea to request support from the LBWCC Foundation to fund a grant that would pay for one class if a student enrolled in two or more classes during this year’s summer term,” said LBWCC President Dr. Herb Riedel.

“She presented the plan to the Foundation Board of Directors, identified a funding source, negotiated with the Board’s finance and investment subcommittee, earned Board approval, and worked with College personnel to make this a highly successful program.”

Selection for the award was based on the criteria of quality, efficiency, cost effectiveness, creativity, timeliness, learning, and collaboration.

“I am very happy that this was a success for students and their parents,” Davis said.

Riedel said the plan was noticed by other two-year college presidents, resulting in inquiries on how to emulate the success achieved by LBWCC.

“This was truly an innovative idea and we are proud of the impact it made on the success of our students,” he said.