HOUSTON (Sept. 8, 2011) – Shah Ardalan, vice chancellor and chief information officer for Lone Star College System, has been recognized by the Texas Association of Community Colleges with the 2011 Carl M. “Chessie” Nelson Administrative Leadership Award.
The award celebrates the importance of administrative leadership at Texas community colleges by recognizing a vice president or dean who has demonstrated outstanding leadership qualities.
“I am humbled to be chosen for such an honor,” said Ardalan. “For me it is not about recognition, but about opening doors for students and giving them options to succeed in getting an education.”
Ardalan, who is also the chief executive officer for LSC-University Park, is known for his dedication and commitment to the Lone Star College mission and his support for student learning and success.
Ardalan’s philosophy is that there are no issues, just “opportunities for change and continuous improvement”. His positive attitude has led to his Invitation to Innovate campaign where anyone can send emails to his attention and get a response from him on anything regarding the campus or teams he leads.
Ardalan’s professional background includes more than 20 years in a variety of management and executive leadership roles within higher education. Ardalan holds a master’s degree in electrical engineering from North Carolina A&T State University and a bachelor’s degree in physics from the University of North Carolina at Greensboro, NC. He also holds academic diplomas and certificates from the University of Lausanne (Switzerland) and Harvard University.
The TACC award was established in memory of Carl M. “Chessie” Nelson in 2003. Nelson served as president of Texarkana College for a number of years and as a mentor to others who assumed leadership positions in community colleges across the state of Texas. Nelson was admired locally, regionally and nationally as a champion of community college education.
With more than 69,000 students in credit classes for spring 2011, and a total enrollment of more than 85,000, Lone Star College System is the largest institution of higher education in the Houston area, and the fastest-growing community college system in Texas. Dr. Richard Carpenter is the chancellor of LSCS, which consists of five colleges including LSC-CyFair, LSC-Kingwood, LSC-Montgomery, LSC-North Harris, and LSC-Tomball, six centers, LSC-University Park, LSC-University Center at Montgomery, LSC-University Center at University Park, Lone Star Corporate College, and LSC-Online. To learn more visit LoneStar.edu.
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