Dr. Michael H. Parsons is a well known higher education leader with a wealth of experience in workforce development, change dynamics, and student success strategies. He has been a community college faculty member, administrator, and scholar for 54 years. First, he was a community college faculty member in a Detroit suburb. Then, Dr. Parsons joined the Upward Bound Faculty at Western Michigan University. Upon completing the doctorate, he joined the faculty of Southwestern Michigan college as first, a faculty member then Director of community Development. Dr. Parsons left Michigan to become an associate dean of academic affairs at Hagerstown Community College in Maryland. After promotion, He served as Dean of Instruction there for 22 years. After being named professor/administrator emeritus, Dr. Parsons joined the faculty of Morgan State University. For the past 12 years, He has served as visiting adjunct professor in the Community College Leadership Doctoral program.
Dr. Parsons’s areas of specialization include adjunct faculty development, social organization, change dynamics and student success strategies. In support of these areas, he has held post-doctoral assignments at The University of Texas, Austin, Carnegie-Melon University, Columbia University and Oxford University. Dr. Parsons is the author of two monographs and co-editor of three New Directions for Community College Readers. He has authored or co- authored over 30 articles for various higher education publications. Finally, Dr. Parsons is a member of the following professional organizations: Association of Faculty for the Advancement of Community College Teaching, Association of Non Traditional Students in Higher Education and the International Torch Club.