The announcement marks the end of a chapter for community colleges that saw dramatic shifts in workforce development, educational technology, and the role of two-year institutions in American society. Under Bumphus’s leadership, community colleges strengthened their position as essential providers of affordable education and workforce training, working closely with four presidential administrations to advance their mission.
“When you look at the landscape of higher education today, you can see Dr. Bumphus’s influence everywhere,” said Dr. Sunita Cooke, who chairs AACC’s board of directors and serves as superintendent/president of MiraCosta College. “He understood that community colleges needed to be at the table for every major conversation about America’s future workforce and educational opportunities.”
Bumphus’s career, spanning more than five decades, coincided with community colleges’ emergence as critical players in addressing skills gaps and workforce needs. His expertise led to appointments on several high-profile national committees, including the American Workforce Policy Advisory Board and the Department of Homeland Security’s Academic Advisory Council.
Beyond his policy work, colleagues say Bumphus’s greatest legacy may be the network of educational leaders he helped develop. As the A. M. Aikin Regents Endowed Chair at The University of Texas at Austin, he mentored hundreds of administrators who went on to leadership positions at community colleges across the country.
His achievements have been widely recognized, including receiving the ACCT Marie Y. Martin CEO of the Year Award and the 2021 Baldridge Foundation’s Award for Leadership Excellence in Education. In 2013, Bumphus was awarded the Diverse Champions award by Diverse: Issues In Higher Education.
But Bumphus maintains that the real measure of success lies in the millions of students who have benefited from community college education during his tenure.
“Every time I meet a graduate who tells me how community college changed their life, I’m reminded of why this work matters so much,” Bumphus said in his retirement announcement. “These institutions are the backbone of opportunity in America, and I’m confident they’ll continue to evolve and serve students for generations to come.”
His 15-year leadership of AACC stands as the second-longest in the organization’s history. As he prepares for retirement, Bumphus remains characteristically focused on the future: “The work of expanding educational opportunity never ends. I’m grateful to have played a part in it.”