Century College gained a new president in July. Angelia Millender began her journey in education in Chicago public schools, but her start in higher education began at Robert Morris University in Chicago. “I started at Robert Morris University as a faculty member and then had progressively responsible positions from there,” Millender says.
After leaving Robert Morris University as vice president of student services, she continued moving up in higher education, first as the chief operating officer at a private college in New York, and then becoming vice president of student affairs and enrollment management at Broward College in Florida. She moved back to Chicago and became the president at Olive-Harvey College. “I’ve got about 10 years of community college experience alone out of all of the experiences that I have had,” Millender says.
Century College, which opened in 1967 as Lakewood State Junior College, has about 21,000 credit and non-credit students, and is second to Normandale Community College as one of Minnesota’s biggest two-year colleges. This caught Millender’s eye for a variety of reasons. “What stood out to me was their focus on student success, the quality of their programs, the energy and the expertise,” Millender says.
Millender has one main goal for her time at Century. “We will know that we are continuing to do it right when our students succeed in meaningful ways,” Millender says, “meaning that they get the skills necessary to leave us and go into the work place, or they get the knowledge that they need to transfer and continue their education beyond Century.”
It’s evident that Millender is ready to begin this adventure. “I’m excited about the opportunity for Century,” she says of the school which is celebrating its 50th anniversary this year. “I’m excited to work with students who are outstanding, and all the faculty, staff and administrators. I’m excited about becoming part of a vibrant community where I can grow more as a person.”
