Dr. Lisa Fowler Has Spent Her Career Finding Ways to Help More People. At RRCC, She Found Her Place.

Dr. Lisa Fowler loved her job working as a rehabilitation counselor for people who are deaf and hard of hearing.  

But after she took a job in higher education, helping students from the same population get into college, she kept finding ways to help more students as she moved up to jobs with more responsibility.

Then, a year after she went back to school to earn her Ph.D. she found a leadership position with Red Rocks Community College and was finally able to move to Colorado to be closer to her sister and the beautiful mountains she loved exploring on her visits.

“It just all fell into place,” Lisa said.

Dr. Lisa Fowler, Vice President of Student Affairs for Red Rocks Community College, oversees all of the support services that help students learn. She oversees admissions, advising, student life programs and disability services.  

“This college in particular is very student centered and student first,” Lisa said. “Everything we do in our division focuses on student success. That doesn’t just happen just anywhere.”

Because of that focus, Lisa’s team is always making changes to respond to student needs.

Most recently, the biggest change Lisa sees is how many students are either adult learners, or even younger students, but with jobs and otherwise full lives.

It means services need to adjust. Recently, for instance, RRCC started offering remote appointments for advising. They’ve quickly become a large portion of how the advising team meets with students.

“That’s really been huge, it’s been the preferred method,” Lisa said.  

But, it’s not enough, Lisa said.  

There have also been changes to extend some college services to be available later in the day for students who can’t make it to campus before 5 p.m.

“We still need to do more,” Lisa said.

As part of that work, some of Lisa’s team has been working on identifying the needs of adult learners and what they need to be successful at Red Rocks.  

Another team is working on student engagement to study ways that the college can help students have as many opportunities as possible to be involved and connected on campus.

“Those are the two big things we’re excited about right now,” she said.

But apart from the services and the college work, Lisa said she also loves the campus. She’s not alone. Survey respondents earlier this year identified RRCC’s beautiful campus locations in the foothills as one of the most important assets for the college.  

“I’ve seen foxes, elk, deer and then there was the bear at graduation,” Lisa said, referring to a black bear that wandered onto campus early in the morning as the college prepared to host the spring commencement in May.

“I definitely believe RRCC is a special place,” she said.

Keep your eye out for more profile stories about leadership team members throughout the school year.