President At Capital Community College Named
January 15, 2005
By ROBERT A. FRAHM, Courant Staff Writer

A New Jersey educator with a long career in higher education has been named president of Capital Community College in Hartford.

Calvin E. Woodland, vice president for student services at Bergen Community College in Paramus, N.J., is expected to begin duties at Capital in March.

Woodland, 61, was selected from a field of more than 50 candidates to succeed Ira H. Rubenzahl, who left Capital last year to take over as head of Springfield Technical Community College in Springfield.

Woodland has an extensive background in community colleges, including Bergen, which enrolls about 14,500 urban and suburban students, roughly four times the size of Capital's student body.

He began his career as a counselor and adjunct education professor at Essex County College in Newark, N.J., and taught at Morgan State University in Baltimore. He has held administrative jobs at Coppin State College and Charles County Community College in Maryland, Northern Virginia Community College in Virginia, and Daytona Beach Community College in Florida.

"We really feel we have a star," said Marie Spivey, vice chairman of the board of trustees for the Connecticut Community College System and head of a search committee that picked Woodland.

Spivey described Woodland as a personable leader with a strong commitment to identifying campus priorities, "even in times of difficult funding," and a knack for bringing people together on important decisions. "He just believes in working with people, making people feel good about what they're doing," she said.

Woodland is the author of several publications on higher education topics, including college access for minority students and academic services.

"Community college is the linchpin for advancing social, economic and educational opportunities for many of our citizens, particularly our youth and returning adults," Woodland said.

He said Capital's campus in the former G. Fox department store in downtown Hartford is "a wonderful facility, and I've been impressed with the students. It's a tremendous resource."

He said his work in urban community colleges "has really served to frame my commitment to serving the needs of adults and students who need access to post-secondary education." Capital, he said, provides "an opportunity to transform the lives of residents of the city and the surrounding region."

Woodland holds a bachelor's degree from Morgan State University, a master's from Howard University in Washington and doctoral degrees from Rutgers University and Southern California University.