Dallas Herring Lecture

Held in honor of W. Dallas Herring – whose transformative vision and tireless work culminated in the inception of North Carolina’s community colleges – the annual lecture invites community college leaders from across the country to speak on urgent and emerging topics, framing how to address the issues and proposing a path forward.

Since 2015, the Belk Center has welcomed college presidents, educational researchers, nonprofit leaders and philanthropists to engage in critical and emerging conversations about student success, post secondary transformation, economic equality and student outcomes.

The Belk Center was pleased to present Dr. Jason Wood, Ph.D., former president of the 2025 Aspen Prize for Community College Excellence winner Southwest Wisconsin Technical College, who delivered the 2025 Dallas Herring Lecture. The 2025 lecture, titled “We Don’t Graduate People Into Poverty: Designing the College Experience Around Student Success,” took place on Tuesday, November 18th, 2025 at 11 a.m. Eastern Time.

About Dr. Wood

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Past Dallas Herring Lectures

Lecture summaries are provided by Nation Hahn, Advisor, John M. Belk Endowment & Joshua Perrin, Founder, Sound and Sense Communications

Dr. Jason Wood during the Q and A portion of the 2025 Dallas Herring Lecture

DHL 2025 – Dr. Jason Wood

We Don’t Graduate People Into Poverty: Designing the College Experience Around Student Success Dr. Wood most recently served as the sixth president of Southwest Wisconsin Technical College, bringing extensive experience…

Russell Lowery-Hart, Ph.D., Chancellor Austin Community College District speaking at the DHL 2024

DHL 2024 – Dr. Russell Lowery-Hart

Transforming Higher Education: Loving Our Students to Success Through Intentional, Courageous, and Systematic Leadership. Chancellor Lowery-Hart’s lecture focused on leading transformational change by creating a culture of caring and “loving…

Dr. Falecia D. Williams, President of Prince George’s Community College at the Dallas Herring Lecture

DHL 2023 – Dr. Falecia D. Williams

Daring To Be Extraordinary: Transforming the Structure of How We Work. Dr. Falecia D. Williams’ lecture spoke to the reality community colleges faced emerging from the pandemic era. She pointed…

Mike Flores at a podium delivering the 2022 Dallas Herring Lecture

DHL 2022 – Dr. Mike Flores

Enhancing Equity and Economic Mobility in Higher Education. Dr. Mike Flores, Chancellor of the Alamo Colleges District, delivered the Dallas Herring Lecture in 2022. His remarks zeroed in on the…

Gregory Haile - Dallas Herring Lecture 2021

DHL 2021 – Gregory A. Haile, JD

Redefining Access: The Power of Proximity. Former Broward College President Gregory Haile’s Dallas Herring Lecture, titled Redefining Access: The Power of Proximity, called for reimagining higher education access through a…

DHL 2020 – Dr. Pam Eddinger

Insights from the Pandemic: The Reckoning & the Hope at Our Nation’s Community Colleges. Dr. Pam Eddinger, President of Bunker Hill Community College, delivered the 2020 Dallas Herring Lecture roughly…

DHL 2019 – Dr. Sanford “Sandy” Shugart

Ecosystem Thinking in Higher Education: The Future of Transfer. Valencia College President Dr. Sandy Shugart called on community colleges to redesign the system for transferring to four-year colleges. He began…

DHL 2018 – Dr. Karen Stout

The Urgent Case: Centering Teaching and Learning in the Next Generation of Community College Redesign. Dr. Karen Stout, Achieving the Dream President and CEO, called for focusing community college redesign…

DHL 2017 – Dr. Eduardo Padrón

Growing Inequality and Declining Economic Mobility, the Twin Challenges of our Time: What Leaders of Higher Education Can Do. Dr. Eduardo Padrón, President of Miami Dade College, addressed the challenge…

DHL 2016 – Josh Wyner, JD

Community College 3.0: What’s Next for the Student Success Agenda? In his 2016 Dallas Herring Lecture, Josh Wyner, Vice President and Executive Director of the College Excellence Program at the…