A Renewed Vision (Part 1): Dr. Timothy Stokes and the Aspen Presidents Fellowship

“Being part of the Aspen Presidents Fellowship has truly been one of the most transformational professional development experiences I’ve ever had in my life,” said Dr. Timothy Stokes, president of South Puget Sound Community College (SPSCC). 

From 2023 to 2024, Dr. Stokes participated in the Aspen Presidents Fellowship, a national program that invites community college presidents to improve their student success reform agenda based on the Aspen Institute’s research, data, and conversations with accomplished former presidents.

In this four-part series, we follow Dr. Stokes as he looks back on his Fellowship experience, what he learned, and how it impacted his leadership and vision for the future of SPSCC. We start at the beginning, with the invitation that changed everything.

The Invitation

With over three decades of experience in higher education, Dr. Stokes has long been recognized as a forward-thinking community leader. Even seasoned leaders, however, can face moments of stagnation.

“I’m going into my twelfth year as SPSCC’s president. At this point in my career, I needed something to drive my passion for the next few years.”

When the invitation to join the Aspen Presidents Fellowship landed in his email inbox, Dr. Stokes knew he’d found that something. The upcoming cohort was uniquely tailored for senior presidents who had been in their roles for more than three years. He knew immediately that he couldn’t let the opportunity to renew his passion slip by.

The Fellowship’s focus on “Community College 3.0” was particularly compelling to Dr. Stokes. He explained: “Community College 1.0 was all about access to higher education and 2.0 prioritized student completion. Now we were developing the concept of Community College 3.0 and being a part of that was really appealing to me. Where do we go next?”

That question deeply resonated with Dr. Stokes. He knew “Community College 3.0” should focus on student outcomes after they leave the institution. Are graduates securing living-wage jobs? Are they completing bachelor’s degrees within a few years? How can colleges use that data to drive meaningful reform?

“Don’t get me wrong, graduation rates are great and I love that ours are high,” Dr. Stokes laughed, “but I wanted to know what’s really happening to our students after they finish their two-year degree.”

The Fellowship

A key component of the Fellowship was the development of a college-specific data workbook, a critical collaboration between Aspen and the college’s Institutional Research team. Dr. Stokes had the massive data workbook printed and placed on his desk; he spent every spare moment between meetings turning its pages and analyzing its information.

One analysis in the workbook focused on the living wage for a single person in Thurston County—$43,811 at the time—and assessing how SPSCC’s programs aligned with that threshold. While nearly all programs met or exceeded the mark, living wage jobs in Early Childhood Education emerged as an area needing improvement.

“Now that we know how to track it across programs, we’re going to pay a lot more attention to that data and use it,” Dr. Stokes said. “We know our students get jobs, but is it in a field where they’re making a living wage? Is it meaningful for their lives and is it moving them and their families forward? That’s what I want to know.”

In addition to creating and analyzing the data workbook, the Fellowship also combined two in-person meetings with monthly virtual sessions. The presidents were grouped into triads, smaller teams that worked collaboratively to apply what they learned at the Fellowship to their respective colleges. Dr. Stokes noted that one of the richest elements of the Fellowship was the guidance of a personal coach to help navigate the data and shape a reform agenda. All of the hard work culminated with 25 presidential fellows together for a weeklong convention in Aspen, Colorado in October 2024.

“That week was just…wow,” Dr. Stokes recalled. “That was 25 senior college presidents and we were just all in on reform and moving to Community College 3.0.”

Dr. Stokes continued to reflect on his experience, making clear how profoundly the Fellowship has influenced his next steps. “It’s reigniting my passion for the work ahead at our institution: Community College 3.0 at SPSCC,” he said.

With a renewed vision and actionable strategies, Dr. Stokes is prepared to lead SPSCC into its next chapter, one where every graduate’s success story extends far beyond the campus walls.

Part Two

In Part 2 of this series, Dr. Stokes will share specific lessons learned and plans to improve post-transfer success for SPSCC students.