ROBERT PIERCE
• Leader & Times
Following a national search and interview process to find a candidate for a new position, officials with Seward County Community College hired one of their own.
Dr. Amber Jones was recently named the school’s new Vice President of Career Technical Education (CTE). Jones has served as SCCC’s dean of industrial technology and for the past year, she served as dean of CTE, combining oversight of the college’s industrial technology and Allied Health divisions.
As dean of industrial technology, Dr. Jones oversaw many programs, including heating, venting and air conditioning, as well as diesel, truck driving and drafting. It was in August 2023 when SCCC went through a minor restructure, and Jones added Allied Health programs such as respiratory therapy, nursing, CNA, CMA and med lab techs to her oversight duties.
As dean of CTE, Jones reported to the vice president of academic affairs, whom she worked with to best serve the school’s students and faculty. She said the recent organization is going to be quite beneficial, as she now will report directly to SCCC President Brad Bennett.
“I will still have industrial tech and Allied Health, but I believe I’ll be adding business and industry and adult education, which all tie in very well,” Jones said. “Our programs intermingle in all of those capacities. Students who get adult education often come to some of the career technical programs. There are grants that correlate between those programs, and business and industry is who we connect with to ensure we’re training students to work for our industry as best we can.”
Dr. Jones said this will require looking at whether SCCC is providing the workforce needed in a given industry.
“It’s all a good circle that makes sense, and they’re going to appoint division chairs in Allied Health and industrial tech to assume some of those responsibilities in helping with the program duties so as a VP, I can do more of the development and growth of programs, being more of a part of meeting with industry and making sure we’re staying nimble to what the industry needs,” she said.
Jones said her new position is more that of an executive administrator, and in addition to Bennett, she will also report to the SCCC Board of Trustees.
“It’s a higher level role, but similar in some ways to what I was doing, but I think the flow of it makes a lot more sense and hopefully will allow us on this current technical side to be more nimble, which is very important to the development and benefit of our local economy,” she said.
Jones said school leaders will likewise explore how to make the biggest impact and how education changes lives in Seward County the most rapidly.
“That’s with degrees and certifications that come from technical programs,” she said.
Naturally, Jones was quite excited and more than relieved when she heard the news earlier this year of her new position.
“I knew I had been a part of the conversation of the restructure and there was not going to be deans anymore and how that restructure was going to where, and that was approved by the Board of Trustees a couple months ago,” she said. “I was honored I was able to apply and be considered. I’m very excited about the opportunity moving forward.”
Jones said one of the things she loves most about working for SCCC is the respect she has for the school’s administration and being a part of a team that is not merely focused on students.
“They generally are good people,” she said. “I’m very happy to work with them further and continue to serve our students and our community.”
While Jones is still working the goals she has in mind for her new position, she did say she has some specific programs in mind she will be looking at soon.
“I met with somebody to start organizing advisories and reconvening some advisories to get an opportunity to reassess where we are with those needs,” she said. “Is that need still there? I have some definite things in mind – construction, renewable energy, biocides, mechatronics, even some in the Allied Health program.”
Dr. Jones said for sure, some of these programs need to be addressed before going forward.
“I do feel very strongly when we look at the possibility of developing new programs, not only do we need to move as quickly as possible, but we have to be conscientious of how that program needs to positively impact students lives,” she said. “Are we developing a program that is high demand and high wage? Why would they spend two years or a year, whatever the context of the program would be, to get a degree that’s not advantageous for them economically as individuals? When we’re looking at these programs, is this really a beneficial certification? Is industry really demanding this?”
On the other end, school officials, Jones said, must have students’ interests in mind and in some ways, mitigate with marketing.
“We have to have both sides,” she said. “We have to have economic demand, and we also have to have student interest. We have to be very conscientious that sometimes we don’t develop programs in a vacuum. We start thinking ‘This is a great idea, let’s start this.’ But then we don’t have the student demand or we don’t have the industry demand that would benefit that.”
During Jones’ time as head of Industrial Technology, SCCC sought out additional industry partnerships and funding for expansion, including multiple private, state and federal grants. With the acquisition of new property for a West Campus facility, the SCCC diesel technology and CDL program are poised to more than double in size.
So what drives Jones as an educator? She said doing what is best for students.
“I know there’s always an endless list of things we need to do, but what drives me is my background in the classroom, knowing we really do change lives through education and students can really come out of a program, whether that be in Allied Health or industrial tech or even going through our adult education program and some of our business and industry short courses,” she said.
Jones said this can significantly change the trajectory of students’ lives and the livelihood of their families.
“That is amazing, and it really drives me to try to push to make things better,” she said. “I feel my underlying goal in life is to make things better for people, for our community. I want to make things better for people. That’s what I keep in mind. How am I going to be remembered? Hopefully, I’ll be remembered for being able to help make things better.”
Jones is also very excited about this new chapter in her life and the opportunities that come with it.
“I’m really excited about working with the administrative team we have, and I’m really excited I get to utilize the things I have been working to learn and working to develop my whole life. It’s the perfect niche of what I love to do and where I love to do it,” she said.
Jones began her college education with an Associate of Science degree from Frank Phillips College in Borger, Texas, followed by a Bachelor of Science in applied mathematics and a minor in education from the University of Tulsa.
She continued with a master of business administration degree in finance and statistics from West Texas A&M University in Canyon, Texas. Jones completed her Doctor of Education degree in educational leadership from Liberty University in Lynchburg, Va., in 2021.
Since her days teaching algebra 1 and eighth grade math at Dumas (Texas) Junior High to stints at Lone Star College, Caney Creek High School in Conroe, Texas, and finally, adjunct instructor and Provost of Frank Phillips College -Allen Campus, Jones has not lost sight of what drives her.
She loves the process of learning, of helping others learn and seeing where learning leads. Her doctoral dissertation focused on the economic impact of career and technical education, connecting higher ed with quality of life and individual success.
