From the President's Desk: September 2026
From the President's Desk
There’s something special about the start of a new academic year at Lakeland.
Our campuses fill up again, classrooms and labs come to life, and everywhere you look,
students are meeting new people, trying new things and beginning to imagine where
their Lakeland experience might take them. This time of year is a wonderful reminder
of what brings us together and why the work we do matters.
At Lakeland, our mission, vision and values aren’t simply words on a page. They shape how we teach, how we work together and how we create opportunities for our students and communities.
Our six core values — Learner Success, Integrity, Respect, Community, Excellence and Innovation — are reflected in countless ways across the college every day. We see them when students step outside their comfort zones, when faculty find new ways to bring learning to life, when staff go the extra mile to help someone succeed and when our industry and community partners share their expertise and opportunities with our learners.
Those connections are an important part of what we call the Lakeland Way.
Guided by Vision 2030, we are building on what Lakeland has always done well: providing relevant, hands-on learning, fostering strong relationships and responding to the needs of the communities and industries we serve. At the same time, we’re continuing to look ahead by adapting, innovating and finding new ways to prepare our learners for a changing world.
A new academic year brings tremendous possibility. For our students, it may be the beginning of a new career, a new friendship or an experience that changes the direction of their lives. For all of us at Lakeland, it’s another opportunity to ask how we can make that experience even stronger.
As we begin this year together, I encourage each of us to stay curious, support one another and look for ways to contribute to the community around us. I’m excited to see what our students, employees, alumni and partners will accomplish in the months ahead.
Welcome to a new year at Lakeland. I’m very happy to be sharing it with you.
-Alice