>>Since Kenneth Walker was named Edison Community College president in 1991, enrollment has increased dramatically, two new campuses have opened, and the institution has even changed its name. Most important, says Walker, the school now known as Edison College remains a vital cog in Southwest Florida's economic engine.

"When I first came here 15 years ago, my goal was to build close ties with the business community and provide the work force it needs," says Walker. "We want to increase economic growth, but we can't unless we have an educated work force. At Edison College, we look to see what demands are out there, and as we identify those needs we try to meet them."

That has meant dramatically increasing the number of graduating nurses locally and developing academic programs to meet the requirements of national companies looking to open offices here. Most recently, it has meant establishing a baccalaureate program to strengthen emergency-services leadership.

The accomplishment of those goals led the Chamber of Southwest Florida to name Walker the recipient of its 2005 Business Building Leadership Award.

Walker arrived at Edison College with 30 years' experience as a college professor and president, but education administration was not his first calling. "I had always been interested in getting a good education," says Walker, now 70. "I wanted to enter the ministry but, when there was no money for seminary, I decided to look for an alternate profession, something where I could serve people and change their lives for the better."

Instead of seminary, he attended the University of Texas in Austin and graduated with a degree in political science. After finishing his M.A. at East Texas State, he worked as an instructor of government and assistant dean at Odessa College. In 1965, he returned to Austin as an administrator and to earn his doctorate in higher education administration.

By 1974, Walker was president of Navarro College in Corsicana, Texas. Over the next 15 years, he directed the construction of several core buildings at Navarro and developed a master plan for the campus's future growth. This past fall, officials at the college honored Walker when the new Kenneth P. Walker Dining Hall was christened.

At Edison, he has earned a reputation for nurturing programs geared toward Southwest Florida's specific needs. Working with the NCH and Lee Memorial healthcare systems, he helped augment Edison's nursing program to combat a critical work-force shortage.

Another promising program is the Educational Prep­aratory Institute on the Charlotte County campus, providing training for degree holders who want to become public school teachers.

What may be Walker's proudest accomplishment came to fruition when Edison College's first baccalaureate program was accredited in December. Classes for the four-year degree in public safety management might start as soon as this summer.

As founder of the Community College Baccalaureate Association, Walker has been a leading proponent of allowing community colleges to grant four-year degrees to make the educational system more responsive to work-force needs.

"The movement signals a shift in the mission and focus of community colleges, which historically offer technical training and prepare students to transfer to universities," says Deborah L. Floyd, an associate professor, program leader and doctoral coordinator of higher education leadership at Florida Atlantic University. "Offering baccalaureate degrees shows that community colleges are looking to expand their mission to meet work-force needs."

Walker is "a significant pioneer in the movement," says Floyd, who co-edited The Community College Baccalaureate: Emerging Trends & Policy Issues with Walker and the University of Toronto's Michael L. Skolnik. "This topic has been wrought with controversy, and typically some leaders choose not to address controversy head on. Dr. Walker provides transformational leadership; he sees what needs to happen and works to make it happen. He's single-handedly ensured that the community colleges addressing these needs have a voice."

Offering baccalaureate degrees makes particular sense at Edison, says Walker. The demand for four-year degrees keeps increasing, especially in rapidly growing regions like Southwest Florida. He plans to develop more four-year programs over the next 10 years.

"Community colleges can fill a tremendous need," Walker says. "These aren't liberal-arts-type degrees; they're work-force degrees in areas like nursing, education and public service management. Right now we have school districts going outside the country to find teachers and hospitals recruiting nurses from places like the Philippines. Community colleges can help."