South Louisiana Community College’s Chancellor Dr. Natalie Harder is being recognized for her leadership and outstanding efforts by the Council for Advancement and Support of Education’s District IV.
Harder received the 2018 E. Joseph Savoie Chief Executive Leadership Award during a recent conference in Fort Worth, Texas.
This Chief Executive Leadership Award recognizes a District IV member-institution president, headmaster, chancellor, educational system head or institutional CEO for outstanding efforts to promote understanding and support for education. Recipients demonstrate the ability to create a vision; inspire others; establish a positive image for her or his institution while leading it to even higher levels of success; and increase the institution’s stature in the community.
District IV represents 2,900 members from 261 two-year, four-year, HBCU, and private institutions in Arkansas, Louisiana, New Mexico, Oklahoma, and Texas.
“Dr. Harder’s courage, leadership, sustained performance, and vision has made her a champion for education and workforce development in our state,” said Dr. Monty Sullivan, president of Louisiana’s Community and Technical College System. “With a ceaseless passion for student success and her focus on engagement, Natalie has advanced SLCC to its rightful and respected place in the community.”
Harder was named chancellor at SLCC in 2012. She is responsible for all operational, academic, student services, advancement, and workforce development aspects of the college and its 13,000+ students served annually.
The college includes campuses in the nine parishes of South Louisiana and has a $28 million budget. During Harder’s first year, she oversaw the merger of SLCC and Acadiana Technical College, making this new comprehensive community college one of the fastest growing in Louisiana.
Through her leadership, she has made educational attainment a priority. The college campuses that have historically only offered technical programs began offering associate degrees. This makes it easier for residents to earn a degree close to where they live and work.
In addition, many of the college’s technical programs were revamped and shorten to get well-prepared graduates into the workforce quicker. Her spirit of collaboration brought together the chief officers from the region’s largest hospital systems, who contributed financially to establishing the college’s Registered Nursing program. Additionally, this partnership established three endowed professorships in Registered Nursing.
“Natalie’s leadership has been a true game-changer for improving the workforce and economic development of our region, changing lives of residents in our communities, and elevating the mission of a first-class comprehensive community college,” said Julie Simon-Dronet, Market Vice President for Cox Acadiana, in a supporting letter for the award.
Some of Harder’s previous accomplishments include being named a 2013 Darden College of Education Fellow at Old Dominion University and board member for Louisiana’s Community and Technical College System Foundation. She also has been named to the Board of Trustees for the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges (SACSCOC). In addition, Harder was elected to the American Association of Community College (AACC) Board of Directors in July 2015.