Autor: Dr. William H. Graves

Bill Ihlenfeldt spent forty-two years in higher-education leadership working to change the face of the nations’ community colleges. During his tenure he challenged higher education to operate utilizing a data-rich model designed to increase productivity and innovation and at the same time reduce costs. Utilizing those concepts in his leadership role, which has been referred to as visionary, he led many innovative changes at the college. Those changes included incorporating simulation into healthcare education to increase the number and quality of graduates, a working on-campus health education center/clinic in partnership with a medical and a dental college, one of the nation’s first nanotechnology programs, and a nanotechnology innovation center called Nano Rite to stimulate private sector economic development. Ihlenfeldt modeled concepts like speed-to-market, risk, measurement-based outcomes, and algorithm-based modeling as a way of life during his career. These techniques, more common in the business world, were integrated into higher education resulting in a college that has received local, state and national recognition as a visionary college that has propelled the surrounding region and higher education into the 21st century. Ihlenfeldt lives in Eau Claire, Wisconsin, with his wife Barbara.