EDCKC Talks New Downtown Convention Center Hotel

 

EDCKC
Image: EDCKC.com

An experienced educational administrator, Mark James served as chancellor of Metropolitan Community College from 2010 to 2017 until he retired. Outside of his work at Metropolitan Community College, Mark James is involved in the local community through the Economic Development Corporation of Kansas City (EDCKC).

EDCKC reported last December that a new convention center hotel is set to break ground this spring, bringing a much sought after development to the downtown Kansas City, Missouri area. The new $322 million facility is owned by Loews Hotel and is set to be completed by 2020, at which point it will help host attendees of the International Shriners Convention as its inaugural event.

Conventions are a major economic driver, contributing nearly $250 million to the city in 2016 alone. According to estimates from local stakeholders, Kansas City, Missouri is in need of additional lodging for major events hosted in the city. The Loews facility will bring an additional 800 rooms to the 2,000 that already service the downtown area near the convention center.

Diversity Entities of the AACC

American Association of Community Colleges
Image: aacc.nche.edu

Mark James leverages nearly four decades of public sector experience as chancellor of Metropolitan Community College, where he has served for the past seven years. In addition to his leadership role at Metropolitan Community College, Mark James remains involved with nonprofit organizations that range from the United Way Education Impact Council to the American Association of Community Colleges (AACC).

An advocacy organization, the AACC represents the interests of community colleges located within the United States, which currently number well over 1,000. In support of these colleges, the association operates programs designed to advance technology in education, develop workforce skills and economic development, improve accessibility, and promote diversity and inclusion.

The AACC’s commitment to diversity is evident through its affiliated councils that focus on promoting a culture of inclusion. These include the Association of Women in Community Colleges (AAWCC), founded in 1973, and the National Asian Pacific Islander Council (NAPIC), which originated in 2007. Moreover, the association founded the National Community College Hispanic Council (NCCHC) in 1985 as well as the National Council on Black American Affairs (NCBAA) which began more than three decades ago.

National Intelligence University (NIU) – MS in Strategic Intelligence

 

National Intelligence University
Image: ni-u.edu

Before becoming the chancellor of Metropolitan Community College in Kansas City, Missouri, Mark James earned a bachelor of science in criminal justice and administration from the University of Central Missouri in Warrensburg. Mark James later attended National Intelligence University (NIU) in Washington, DC, where he earned a master of science of strategic intelligence.

NIU, originally called the Defense Intelligence School, was created by the Department of Defense to provide intelligence and counterintelligence training to military personnel. NIU offers several academic programs in intelligence, including the master of science of strategic intelligence (MSSI).

The MSSI program provides training for complex 21st-century intelligence work, focusing on national security intelligence, future-focused intelligence, and globalization. The program offers a variety of schedules to help students arrange classes to fit their lives. The MSSI program can be completed in 11 months by full-time students or in two years by part-time students.

A Blueprint for Developing Higher Education in Missouri

Metropolitan Community College in Kansas City, Missouri
Image: mcckc.edu/

An experienced public administrator, Mark James was chancellor of Metropolitan Community College from 2010 to 2017. In 2015, as part of his role as Metropolitan Community College chancellor, Mark James sat on a steering committee established by Missouri’s Coordinating Board for Higher Education (CBHE) to develop a blueprint for improving higher education in Missouri.

Members of the steering committee included higher education professionals from across the state, distinguished citizens, and representatives from commerce, industry, and government. The committee held numerous discussions and public meetings between 2014 and 2015 to uncover the state of higher education in Missouri as well as the opportunities and challenges present.

These efforts culminated in an ambitious plan to develop the state’s higher education. The plan, titled Preparing Missourians for Success: A Blueprint for Higher Education, was presented to the CBHE in 2016. It focused on four special areas of higher education: accessibility, affordability, quality, and completion. It outlined the challenges affecting each of these areas of concern and laid down strategies to mitigate them so that all students in the state could enjoy accessible, affordable, and quality higher education from start to finish.