Meet President John Cox
John L. Cox, EdD, CPA, assumed leadership of Cape Cod Community College on July 1, 2012, committed to the success of its students across the Cape, the Islands, and the South Coast of Massachusetts. Developing and strengthening partnerships with businesses, nonprofits, government, and other educational institutions he has leveraged the College’s efforts to continue to expand education and workforce development opportunities, increase retention, and enhance the success of students, faculty, and staff.
President Cox has led the expansion of technical education programs, including the FAA-approved accelerated aviation maintenance technician program. Under his leadership, the program gained $1.95 million in state support to acquire airport hangar space for classrooms, $2.5 million in Trade Adjustment Assistance Community College and Career Training funding from the US Department of Labor presented by Vice President Joe Biden, and $300,000 in National Science Foundation support to provide additional aid to students. This program involves partnerships with several airlines, including Cape Air and JetBlue, the U.S. Coast Guard, and other aviation service companies.
Cape Cod Community College continues its commitment to the liberal arts and sciences, and the transfer of its students’ general education course credits to colleges and universities all over this country, and the world. During his presidency, the College has introduced Q-Terms (Quick Terms), intensively delivered courses in an 8-week program. Our guaranteed Associate-Bachelor degree agreement with UMass Dartmouth helped advance the move to the statewide Commonwealth Commitment, where full-time students can qualify for reduced costs of degree programs.
Dr. Cox participated in the Fulbright-Nehru International Education Administrators Program to India in March 2014. Having met the Joint Secretary overseeing India’s higher education, Dr. Cox received plan information for the community college initiative in India, which was shared with USIEF. Most recently he was asked to join the Joint Task Force on Community Colleges as part of the Indian Higher Education Dialogue, sponsored by the US Department of State and the Government of India in late Fall of 2014.
Expansion of study abroad programs at the Cape's community college continues to be a personal goal. Last year students in a Comparative Economics course traveled to India and Dubai and a Spanish course traveled to Cuba. Having been on the 2012 Fulbright Commission's Community College Seminar in Russia, President Cox served on the American Association of Community Colleges' Commission on Global Education, and has studied and consulted in England, Zimbabwe, Turkey, and Brazil.
Most recently, he led a NEASC accreditation team site visit to a New England community college. Dr. Cox served previously as Vice President for Finance, Operations and Government Relations at Harford Community College, Maryland. He earned his doctorate from George Washington University, and received the 2010 John Grenzebach Award for Outstanding Research in Philanthropy for Educational Advancement, Doctoral Dissertation, through the Council for Advancement and Support of Education.
Dr. Cox has published in the International Journal of Educational Advancement, and has taught in the Higher Education Administration at Kent State University, and the doctorate program in Community College Policy and Administration at UMUC. In addition, he has served on the National Association of College and University Business Officers Community College Council, and was a former Community College Leadership Fellow sponsored by the Maryland Association of Community Colleges and Morgan State University. The 4Cs President has served in positions at Portland State University, Harford County Public Schools, University of Maryland, the University of Southern California, and is a former Pennsylvania township manager.