Photo: Northwest President Michael J. Heindl (left) and AVP of Student Services and Enrollment Management Dr. Tonyalle Rush (right). (Photo credit: Sarah Smith)
July 11 – Northwest Mississippi Community College’s Vice President of Student Services and Enrollment Management, Dr. Tonyalle Rush of Southaven, has completed the College Policy Fellowship Program (CPFP).
Rush was nominated by Northwest President Dr. Michael J. Heindl, and Rush has previously completed leadership programs such as Mississippi Community College Leadership Academy and Leadership DeSoto.
Rush participated in this program with educational leaders across the state. This program started in 2012 and is sponsored by Mississippi Community College Board in partnership with D.C.’s AdvocacyBuild to encourage college leaders to network and educate themselves on policy and advocacy.
“I’ve met amazing people in this program,” Dr Rush said.
Rush said she keeps in contact with her cohort, and they have regular chats to learn about other institutions strengths and opportunities to learn from each other.
This program met once a month in Jackson, where they networked and are educated on trends and policy. The program concludes with a legislative summit in Washington, D.C.
One of Rush’s favorite parts of the CPFP program was the visit to the Mississippi State Capitol and enjoying the opportunity to meet and advocate for community colleges with state and local legislators.
Rush said that she learned through this program that “advocacy is everything.” Student stories are an extremely important part of advocating for your students.
“Thank you Dr. Heindl for this opportunity and Tyson Elbert for all of your hard work to this amazing program,” Rush said.
