constantly reignite the Middlesex agenda.
that attitude that made MCC become the leader among
community colleges in this country," Henderson said.
"She always asked how we could achieve a new objective,
never why it wouldn't work. I truly believe that Carole Cowan
defines what a community college president can accomplish
with hard work, a dedicated team around her, and the
willingness to not accept the status quo."
man now chartered with helping find her successor, said
Cowan embodied a leader.
life when we are born and when we discover why we were
born," Mack said. "A key measure of a leader to get others
to follow is to explain why a task is necessary, how that task
could be done, and what will the result be when the task is
others how to lead. She has shaped the development of
Middlesex through the careful and thoughtful development
of faculty, staff, and senior advisors."
Cowan hesitated as she tried to find the words.
own skin, and externally, I didn't always look for praise and
recognition," Cowan said. "I think it was positive for the col-
lege that I didn't get trapped into a competitive mentality that
would distract me from the work I had to do. But that's not to
say I'm not competitive. I am, but I try to keep my eye on the
ball, which is where you decide you want the college to be,
and the challenge is figuring out how you're going
to get it there."
that's one of those skills that helped me tremendously. You
can observe and hear things if you listen, and usually that can