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Registration for the 11th annual Dallas Herring Lecture is now open. The virtual event, presented by the Belk Center for Community College Leadership and Research (Belk Center), is scheduled for Tuesday, Nov. 18 at 11 a.m. Eastern Standard Time.
The nationally recognized lecture honors the late W. Dallas Herring — known as the “father” of the North Carolina Community College System (NCCCS) — and is a chance for community college leaders in North Carolina and beyond to reflect on the most pressing and emerging issues facing their institutions, while also thinking strategically about the path forward.
Dr. Jason Wood, president of Southwest Wisconsin Technical College (Southwest Tech), will deliver the 2025 lecture, titled, “We Don’t Graduate People Into Poverty: Designing the College Experience Around Student Success.”
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Wood is the sixth president of Southwest Tech, where he has served since July 2015, and has extensive leadership experience in higher education, with roles in recruitment, college preparation, and student services at community colleges in Oregon. Wood also served as the executive vice president for student and academic services at Central Wyoming College.
In April, Southwest Tech was awarded the 2025 Aspen Prize for Community College Excellence — a national recognition for high achievement and performance among the country’s community colleges. The Aspen Prize, created in 2010, honors colleges that show “outstanding performance in several areas of student outcomes: student learning, certificate and degree compilation, transfer and bachelor’s attainment, and employment and earnings after graduation.”
The college was recognized for how it served students inside and outside the classroom, and for their exceptional graduation rates, “particularly among lower-income students, and for the strong wage outcomes of its graduates, who earn nearly $14,000 more than the regional average within five years,” according to a recent press release.
Southwest Tech is an example of how a rural college can achieve “remarkable results through innovative leadership and a culture of continuous improvement,” the release says. The release goes on to say that under Wood’s leadership, Southwest Tech has focused on “expanding student access, fostering success and ensuring long-term sustainability through innovation.”
“President Wood’s leadership reflects a clear commitment to access, innovation and the transformative power of education,” said Dr. Audrey J. “AJ” Jaeger, W. Dallas Herring Professor at the NC State College of Education and executive director of the Belk Center. “His work not only aligns deeply with the values of the Dallas Herring Lecture but also resonates with North Carolina’s growing need for skilled workers and strong workforce outcomes. We’re honored to have him share his insights this year.”
The virtual event is free and open to the public, but registration is required. You can register online here.
