EP166: Meet Dr. Michael Baston, Recipient of the 2026 The EDU Ledger Champions Award

In this episode of In The Margins, we sit down with Dr. Michael Baston, President of Cuyahoga Community College (Tri-C) and recipient of the 2026 EDU Ledger Champions Award, for a timely conversation on leadership, student success, and the future of community colleges.

Drawing from his journey as a first-generation college student and former public interest attorney, Baston reflects on how personal experience shaped his commitment to building institutions that don’t leave students to “figure it out” on their own. He shares how community colleges serve as powerful engines of opportunity, particularly for working, adult, and underserved learners navigating complex life demands alongside their education.

The conversation, with host David Pluviose, explores how institutional design, not just intention, drives student outcomes. From rethinking enrollment and retention strategies to embedding support directly into academic pathways, Baston outlines a bold, systems-level approach to improving completion, scaling support, and aligning education with workforce realities.

He also challenges leaders to move beyond performative partnerships and toward outcome-driven collaborations with K–12 systems, employers, and transfer institutions, which ensure students are supported from entry through career.

This conversation is a call for intentional leadership: building culture first, designing systems around real student needs, and creating pathways that turn access into lasting opportunity.

 

KEY POINTS:

 

• Baston’s journey from public interest law to higher education leadership 

• First-generation student experiences highlight the need for institutions to provide structured support

• Retention is a primary driver of enrollment growth

• Institutions must design systems that meet students where they are, especially working and part-time learners

• Embedding academic, financial, and career planning into programs is essential for completion

• Traditional higher education systems often create unnecessary barriers (language, bureaucracy, and process)

• Strong partnerships must produce measurable outcomes for students

• Community colleges should align with workforce needs, from upskilling to employer partnerships

• Leadership requires building institutional culture before implementing large-scale change

 

QUOTABLES:

 

“The power of possibility happens in community colleges for communities.” – Dr. Michael Baston

 

“I think about all the stuff I didn’t have, all the mentors I didn’t have, all of the organized support I didn’t have when I came into college.” – Dr. Michael Baston

 

“We then have to design an institution that puts people in the best possible position to succeed.” – Dr. Michael Baston

 

“For too many colleges, it’s easier to get out of school than to get in school.” – Dr. Michael Baston

 

“Partnerships are not taking pictures in front of banners… they have to have real outcomes.” – Dr. Michael Baston

 

GUEST RESOURCES:

Dr. Michael Baston

 

Awards/Honors > Champions Award | The EDU Ledger

 

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Closed captioning and a live show transcription are available in the video for this episode.

 

In The Margins is produced by The EDU Ledger and edited by EPYC Media Network (visit at https://www.epyc.co/).