Barbara Van Syckle
1996 Fulbright Fellow
1995 National Teaching Excellence Award Winner

-----Summary of Qualifications Qualifications-----

Leader National, regional, and local experience as international Board President, Commission Chair, Regional President, Community Board member, and Accreditation Team Chair focusing on innovative, qualitative results with bottom-line accountability.
 

Entrepreneurial Comprehensive experience with board level decision-making, partnerships, staffing, forecasting, marketing, program evaluation, and outcomes assessment.  Successful development of new and renewed programs from concept through implementation and integration of new technologies. Successful small business owner for ten years.

International Economic development consulting assignment in Caspian and Black Seas region of Russia. Study/travel in Kenya, Tanzania, Newfoundland, Alberta, British Columbia, China, Aruba, Poland, Czech Republic, Cyprus, France, Belgium, Switzerland, Italy, and the Netherlands. Fulbright Fellowship with Warsaw School of Economics.

-----Experience-----

Chair of Professional Studies Department 1997-2007

Professor of Business 1990-present

Jackson Community College, Jackson MI

Responsibilities:

• Create and coordinate annual shared governance plan to include annual departmental goals, annual budget, course schedule, staff assignments, curriculum review, release time, stipends, institutional service, utilization of non-teaching days, and assignment of departmental responsibilities.
• Represent the department at institutional functions, committees, and/or planning boards including Academic Issues, Human Resource Design, Responsible Use of Technology, Workforce Development Planning, Academic Planning, Department Chairs, Downtown Campus Design, Enrollment Management, Scheduling Design Team and Technology Liaisons.  
• Participate in developing, implementing, and reviewing the annual professional responsibility plan for and with each member of the department.
• Develop new programs and teach related courses.
• Recruit, select and mentor full time and adjunct faculty members.

Achievements:

• Chosen to lead department through three college reorganization plans incorporating programs of Accounting, Criminal Justice, Welding, Management, Automotive Technology, CAD, Electrical Engineering, Business Administration, Machine Tool, Marketing, Early Childhood Education and Climate Control with 18 full-time faculty, 200 course sections staffed by adjunct faculty students on 4 campuses, 5 additional sites and an annual budget of $2+ million.
• Created and closed Hotel-Restaurant-Institutional Management program.
• Developed, implemented and grew business distance learning program from one course section to a complete business degree online.
• Selected by Jackson Community College Foundation Board and Jackson Community College Trustees to serve as a director.
• Authored Planning Your Financial Future Study Guide for South-Western, Business in Action 2e Test Bank, Excellence in Business Test Bank for Prentice-Hall.
• Retained as Educational Consultant by Prentice-Hall and Course reviewer for McGraw-Hill.
• Increased enrollment by 35% in first year business course redesigning a lecture-style, memorization course to a multi-media, face-to-face workshop format; online format in Blackboard and Educator; and interactive audio/ video 3-way closed-television format.
• Designed and/or redesigned 12 new business courses including Service Marketing, Cost Controls, Contemporary Business, Facility Design and Layout,  Human Resource Management, Supervision, Internship, Customer Service.
• Consulted on tourism development for Russian government.
• Trained as Baldrige National Quality Examiner.
• Served as College Board judge on the standard-setting panel for CLEP Management exam.

Recognition:

• Recognized by President Clinton and Michigan Governor Engler as first recipient of National Teaching Excellence Award for faculty in business schools and programs nationwide.
• Awarded Fulbright Fellowship at Warsaw School of Economics in Poland, Jagellonian University in Poland, and Charles University in Prague.
• Chosen by college president to represent College at first year-long Michigan Organizational Leadership Academy.
• Awarded two Kellogg Foundation grants to create online courses for Michigan Community College Virtual Learning University.
• Selected by county and community business leaders to serve on county-wide board to coordinate community efforts to save and renovate local historic site for a nonprofit banquet facility for county parks improvements.
• Selected by Jackson Community College Board of Trustees to serve on College President Search Committee.
• Served on Chair Academy Board of Practitioners, an international association for leadership excellence in higher education administration.
   

-----Experience continued-----

Global Business Committee 2005-2008

Strategic Planning Task Force 2005-2007

President, President-Elect Board of Directors 2002-2005

Member, Board of Directors 2000-2005

Chair of Accreditation Commission 2000-2001

Accreditation Commissioner 1998-2001

Regional President, President-Elect 1995-97

Evaluation Team Trainer 1994-present

Chair of Accreditation Teams 1993-2004

Accreditation Site Evaluator 1990-2004

Association of Collegiate Business Schools and Programs (ACBSP)

Overland Park, Kansas 1990-present
 

Responsibilities:

• Served as President of the Board of Directors of only business accreditation association for two-year, four-year and master’s level schools and programs for over 400 colleges and universities with a teaching mission.

• Chaired Personnel Committee and hired new Executive Director.

• Chaired Nominations Committee for Board of Directors.

• Chaired National Conference committee.

• Chaired Associate Degree Commission responsible for granting initial accreditation and reaffirmation

• Chaired accreditation and reaffirmation team visits.

• Trained site evaluators at national and regional conferences.

• Mentor schools challenged by the accreditation process.

• Presented at regional and national conferences on outcomes assessment and accreditation standards.

Achievements:

• Elected Board President of Association of Collegiate Business Schools & Programs at critical developmental stage in organization’s history.

• Chaired Personnel Committee; hired first Executive Director from business; wrote job description/set performance standards.
• Led team to upgrade accreditation standards, moving from prescriptive measures to mission-driven outcomes assessment.

• Created mentoring program for Commissioners.
• Secured Good to Great author, Jim Collins, for national conference keynote address, gratis; partnered with Jim Collins to assist with research.
• Negotiating with Canadian business schools to affiliate with U.S. accreditation process and standards.
• Began negotiations Brussels Nov ‘03 to form European business schools partnership.
• Developing partnership with international Chair Academy.
• Evaluated 150+ institutional self-studies for quality in curriculum, outcomes assessment, and teaching excellence to grant accreditation.
   

Recognition:

• Selected by 500 colleges and universities to receive first National Teaching Excellence Award for Business based upon classroom teaching and learning, institutional versatility, innovation and community commitment.
• Selected to be part of panel with deans from University of Michigan, Oakland University, and Rochester Institute of Technology on developing standards for the Society of Manufacturing Engineers.

-----Experience continued-----

Director of Management and Culinary Arts

Operator/Manager Fully-Licensed Restaurant

Ann Arbor Public Schools, Ann Arbor Michigan 1979-1990

Responsibilities:

• Hired from industry to reopen and restructure a closed, federally funded program and fully licensed business.
• Administer business operations and coordinate day-to-day activities of full-service licensed restaurant open to public.
• Develop business plan and budget to repay outstanding debt, operating expense and market rate-of-return to sponsors.
• Recruit, hire and supervise 50+ student-employees and staff.
• Create and implement standards and practices in safety, service, sanitation, and finances sufficient to meet OSHA, health department, and federal requirements to allow business to be reopened.

Achievements:

• Developed and implemented budget, quarterly statements, cash flow reports, and financial controls resulting in an operating business which repaid all debt, and returned a positive cash flow.

• Triggered a 36% enrollment increase by initiating marketing campaign.
• Trained over 850 individuals, providing extensive needs assessment, on-the-job skill application, support team, and individualized learning outcomes.
• Repaired relationships with business community and regulatory agencies.

Recognition:

• Selected to serve as Education Foundation Trustee for Michigan Restaurant Association.
• Published in Ann Arbor News as one of top ten businesses by Washtenaw County Health Department.
• Reviewed by the Ann Arbor News in their weekly restaurant review column by noted food critic.
• Consulted on implementation of state-mandated vocational training at Huron Valley Women’s Facility.
• Selected as one of ten in first mentor program established for 1147 teachers.

-----Experience continued-----

Business Owner

Craig and Barbara Luck Antiques 1984-90;

Clements House Bed-n-Breakfast 1987-1990 Ann Arbor, Michigan
 

• Took occasional hobby and built it to over ½ million dollar inventory while maintaining full-time career.
• Researched, renovated and restored authenticity to an 1837 Greek Revival house and furnished it in period furniture, textiles and lighting. Conducted archaeological digs to discover original building sites of 4 acre-property.
• Featured Early American get-away weekend in historic village and home with attendance at one of the largest antique markets in the country.
   

  ---

-----Education-----

• Work/study London, Ontario 2007
• Work/study Turkish-occupied Northern Cyprus 2006
• Travel/study UNESCO World Heritage Site, Mt. Assiniboine, British Columbia 2006
• Work/study Katowice School of Economics, Katowice, Poland 2005.
• Work/study Brussels 2004.
• Travel/study Alaska and Newfoundland 2002.
• Travel/study Tanzania and Kenya 1998.
• Travel/study Beijing, China 1997.
• Fulbright Fellowship in Eastern Europe WARSAW SCHOOL OF ECONOMICS; CHARLES UNIVERSITY Prague; JAGELLONIAN UNIVERSITY Krakow, Poland 1996.
• Travel/study The Netherlands 1995.
• Additional Study PYATIGORSK SCHOOL OF COMMERCE & TRADE Pyatigorsk, Russia 1994.
• Master’s degree with Honors in Interdisciplinary Technology, EASTERN MICHIGAN UNIVERSITY 1985. Coursework in technology assessment and implementation, dynamics of change, organizational behavior, grant/proposal writing, leadership, small group dynamics, business communications.
• Michigan Continuing Teaching Certificate and Full Vocational Authorization, SIENA HEIGHTS COLLEGE Adrian, Michigan 1981. Coursework in program administration, occupational and career analysis, educational philosophy, educational psychology, curriculum development, and outcomes assessment.
• Bachelor’s degree Cum Laude Human Development, OHIO WESLEYAN UNIVERSITY Delaware, Ohio 1974. Selected as teaching assistant for freshmen technology colloquia. Inducted into Mortar Board. Coursework in economics, near environment and resource use, industrial psychology, human behavior, ethics and management theory.
• Additional Study, SYRACUSE UNIVERSITY/UNIVERSITY OF AMSTERDAM, the Netherlands 1973.

Back to Home Page