David Toland’s experience as a student at Allen Community College was brief.
He enrolled in a handful of summer classes between his freshman and sophomore years while he attended the University of Kansas.
His class schedule was such that it would have been difficult to get the necessary credits in a timely manner at KU, Toland explained Tuesday.
So the Iola native, who today is Kansas’s lieutenant governor, spent one summer at Allen.
“I had great instructors,” he said. “I remember Gary Greve was one of them, and I took care of what I needed to.
“The point is, Allen was here for me when I needed it,” Toland continued. “That’s the value of having a strong community college. We can all be proud Allen has consistently offered affordable, value-driven excellence to students looking to gain skills and credentials along their paths to a good job or career.”
And, Toland noted good-naturedly, the experience affords him the honor of calling himself “a proud Allen alumnus.”
Toland provided the keynote address at Tuesday’s centennial celebration for Allen Community College, which opened its doors on the third floor of Iola High School on Sept. 10, 1923.
For communities to thrive, it’s imperative they have schools such as ACC that are responsive, agile and adaptive to a shifting landscape, Toland said, while maintaining a close alignment with regional employers and communities.
Toland pointed to recent economic development projects in the state, including EMP Shield’s announcement that the microchip manufacturer will build a $1.9 billion facility near Burlington.
Allen was one of the first schools to step up to the plate to offer training for the more than 1,200 employees needed, Toland said.
“Allen is committed to being a central spoke in our regional talent pipeline here in southeast Kansas,” he said.
REP. FRED Gardner, a Garnett veterinarian, spoke about the example set by his grandparents to raise an educated family.
“They had an opportunity to get a higher education, and they took advantage of that opportunity,” Gardner said. “It greatly enhanced their lives, as well as for their children and their grandchildren.
“As we celebrate this today, it’s a good day to stop and remember what’s happened in the last 100 years,” he continued. “ACC has impacted not only students who attended this institution, but also family members, neighbors and friends. It truly does enrich the entire community and state.”
“Today’s celebration is a celebration for all of us,” added Allen President Bruce Moses. He pointed to the school’s origins, first as Iola Junior College, then Allen County Community Junior College when the school relocated to its campus on North Cottonwood Street in 1970.
The name was later shortened to Allen County Community College, Allen Community College “and now Allen.”
