Spotlight On: Roger Davis, President, Community College of Beaver County
5 min read June 2025 — Roger W. Davis, president of the Community College of Beaver County, spoke with Invest: about innovating the college experience to meet the needs of today’s students. “It is a tough time to be in higher education, but we are embracing it as an innovative time. Higher education must reinvent itself to be responsive to changes in both the government and the economy.”
What changes over the past year impacted Community College of Beaver County and in what ways?
There’s been tremendous conversation in the state about the lack of student populations and the plethora of higher education institutions. We created a state board of higher education that is beginning a strategic plan to increase access, credential attainment, and make sure the state is using funding well. I believe the community college will play a pivotal role in the training and education of students and in driving the economy to come for the Pittsburgh region.
What is the college’s approach to credentialing?
Coming out of the pandemic, much of the student body moved to a part-time model. We began to create credentials where students can experience success and acquire job ready skills amid disruptive life events. We broke down our majors into micro-credentials. We will continue to see employers looking for some type of credential because they want people to come directly to work. Corporate America won’t be ready for the unreadiness of the worker, and higher education will play a role in getting workers prepared.
What efforts have been most effective in re-engaging students who may not have the resources to continue their education?
Working with economically disadvantaged students is the hardest work you can do. We have a guided pathways model called Titan Pathways to Success that helps students START STRONG, STAY STRONG, and FINISH STRONGER. The model embeds the services and resources a student needs, from choosing a major, assigning an adviser, accessing technology, and receiving financial aid. We also offer one cost digital textbooks and have student learning outcomes focused on wellness, self-improvement, involvement, professional behavior, and lifelong learning. Regardless of a student’s situation, they still have the same ability and strategies to succeed – from day one to graduation day.
What has been the impact of CCBC’s articulation agreement with Penn State Beaver?
We’ve partnered with Penn State Beaver, Geneva College, and La Roche University among others. These premier partners accept up to 60 or 90 credits that students can transfer to complete their bachelor’s degree in specific majors. Our top transfers are institutions that we put before our student body because they’re the most affordable partner and we have streamlined the credit transfer process.
What other partnerships would you emphasize?
Slippery Rock University and CCBC are working together with the Aspen Institute on a transfer partnership. We want Slippery Rock to be one of our premier partners. Our most gifted students go to Slippery Rock. We meet monthly with a third-party Aspen Institute coach to ensure the route to Slippery Rock is seamless.
What initiatives has CCBC implemented to support students’ academic and personal development, particularly in the Pittsburgh area?
In addition to guided pathways, we have an Advising Week for students to meet their advisers, and we encourage students to lean on their advisers for support. The STAY STRONG portion of our pathway includes all the resources at the college, such as academic coaches, free food and clothing pantry, mental health support, and student clubs. We are serving the entire student through this holistic model. For example, we have a computer lending library for students to borrow a laptop for the semester. We try to remove every barrier to success and remind students these resources exist throughout their time at CCBC.
What additional innovations or tech integrations have you introduced, and how are students responding?
We use Titan Flex, a format where courses are recorded, allowing students to participate online on their time, attend class in person, or take a hybrid approach. During the pandemic, the faculty talked about eliminating the number of Titan Flex offerings, but many students still need this option to complete their courses. It helps us meet students where they are and these courses receive positive feedback from students every semester.
What challenges and opportunities are you seeing in the broader economic landscape of the region, and how does it affect enrollment trends in community colleges?
We’ve been intentional in increasing enrollment and have worked on strategies over the last several years to climb back up the enrollment cliff. We are the second fastest growing community college in Pennsylvania. During the pandemic, we saw a shift toward people taking care of themselves and their families. Folks were running out of money, and they had to make choices. Retail work started to go away with more self-checkout lanes. Many food service jobs have gone away too. People are now trying to find new career trajectories. We are watching the federal government make changes to Pell Grants by raising the credit requirements. We’ve seen a pushback against the benefits of a college education. It is a tough time to be in higher education, but we are embracing it as an innovative time. Higher education must reinvent itself to be responsive to changes in both the government and the economy. We’re in a gig economy, and we want to find a way to integrate college education into the gig economy. If higher education doesn’t reinvent itself, there will be a generation of students left behind. People will be in a race that never ends while they try to pull themselves out of poverty. We want to make the higher education journey one that is doable for anybody.
How have you expanded programs in aviation and technology?
Our aviation program has grown significantly. We broke ground on a one-of-a-kind joint aviation space at the Beaver County Airport – an academic building and terminal all in one. It sits parallel to the runway where our students take off and train. We have received local and state funding to construct the building. We believe it will double the size of our aviation program, one that includes majors in professional piloting, aerospace management, and air traffic control. All three of those industries are growing and have workforce shortages. We currently have 300 pilots and 60 air traffic controllers, and we partner with 15 flight providers in Pennsylvania and seven more in the Southeast. We are the only school in Pennsylvania approved by the FAA to teach aviation online.
What are your key goals and priorities moving forward?
We have a site in Washington County where we want to move to and provide educational opportunities. Not every county in Pennsylvania has a community college, and we want to establish ourselves in Washington County. We started a veterinary technician program to address the vet tech shortage locally, and we have a new Vet Tech Mobile Lab, a converted bus that can go to communities and provide veterinary services as our students gain valuable experience.
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