Ed Massey: Hard to Find a College President Whose Ear Is Closer to the Ground

Despite its overwhelming beauty and natural resources, Florida's Treasure Coast might have become a bust for business and entrepreneurship decades ago.

Look at where it sits. It's one of the few regions in the state more than 100 miles away from any major university, from any of the brain factories that supply and train high-caliber employees and serve to lure new business and foster job creation.

But Martin, St. Lucie, Indian River and Okeechobee counties have a saving grace. For as long as I've known the Treasure Coast, Indian River Community College, now Indian River State College, has been at its heart.

The college goes a long way toward filling the gaps.

It occurred to me at last month's Degrees to Jobs Summit in Orlando that IRSC President Ed Massey had an incredible story to tell about how you make a far-flung region feel well-served by higher education. He probably should have been included in the program and I definitely should have written about him sooner than this. 

Massey did attend the summit as an observer, and I was able to corner him between sessions. We sat at a table in the courtyard and talked until the hot sun drove us indoors.

Massey has been at the college longer than 83 percent of Treasure Coast residents have lived there. He started as a biology instructor in 1973, before integration, when area beaches were largely deserted and agriculture dominated the economy. He was appointed president of the college 15 years later, in 1988.

"When I came in, the college already had tremendous business partnerships, but it took a reactive approach. If a company wanted training, they would come in and we'd provide it," he told me. 

Under Massey's leadership, Indian River Community College jumped on the throttle, proactively went to the community to recruit training business and by doing that, significantly improved the area's economic stability.

"A lot of us started talking about what the future of the Treasure Coast is -- city leaders, county leaders, state leaders, leaders in public education across the four counties, all willing to engage," Massey said. "Ken Pruitt had just been elected to the Florida House. He took up the challenge, and we knew we had a powerful voice in the Legislature."

Massey realized early what an important part of the area's economic engine the college was.

"We knew we had to think differently about economic development because without a university headquartered nearby, we knew it would be hard to attract and keep quality organizations like Harbor Branch, the Smithsonian, and a satellite Florida Atlantic University campus," he said. "We made ourselves part of it when private business got together to form a kind of membership organization to keep good things happening."

Pruitt, now St. Lucie County property appraiser after 20 years in the Florida Legislature, two of them as Senate president, is one of Massey's and Indian River State College's biggest fans.

"If you ever want to get anything of real magnitude accomplished when it comes to workforce training, give it to Ed Massey, he'll get it done," says Pruitt. "Dr. Massey continues to set the standard on workforce training in Florida and the United States."

I remember Massey -- whom I hadn't seen at such close range since 2004 -- as being in on everything. Year after year, everybody's business was his business. That's how he stayed close to the community, understood its needs and prepared for the future.

The college suffered less than most in the Florida system during the 2008 recession. "We have the lowest overhead costs in the state, so we were braced to ride out the bad times," he said.

I asked him what he considers his biggest challenge. He replied, "It's also my biggest reward -- making sure our curriculum stays aligned with what's happening in this changing workplace."

Pete Tesh, president of the Economic Development Council of St. Lucie County, calls Massey "one of the most dynamic community leaders I've ever met. ... His interface with academics and the business side, giving the community what it needs and providing corporate training ... well, he accommodates our total needs." Massey this year is chairman of the Economic Development Council Board.

One of IRSC's real show-off training programs takes place in a new facility that trains nuclear technicians. Florida Power & Light Co. built a complete, fully operational flow loop -- a cooling system for a power plant where problems can be simulated and students can work to solve them.

"Staff come from FPL, mostly retired company employees, to teach the classes, Massey explained. "When the course is completed, these students have something like a $60,000-a-year job waiting."

Students who enroll at IRSC are put in one of the college's eight areas, or "guided pathways." No more flailing around all alone, wondering which way to go in their careers. If students haven't made their minds up when they enter, they take core courses, then are given counselors to help them find their way as they go.

"It's something that works for every college," Massey said. "Students waste as little time and money as possible, going for quality every day they're in school."

One of the college's newest buildings is the Kight Center, entirely dedicated to technology. Two National Science Foundation-funded programs are built in two regional centers -- photonics and optics, which includes laser technology.

IRSC has 22 partner colleges and 120 different business partners. "We tried to be on the leading edge, not on the bleeding edge," Massey says.

Look at some of Massey's accomplishments since he was appointed Indian River's third president and CEO and you've probably got a legacy:

-- Expanded the enrollment by 300 percent in more than 100 degree and certificate programs.

-- Significantly expanded the college’s five campuses (main campus in Fort Pierce) to include more than 700 acres and 1,500,000 square feet of state-of-the-art facilities.

-- Led the transition from community college to state college, expanding its mission to become a baccalaureate degree-granting institution, and establishing 20 new bachelor’s degree programs linked directly to regional workforce needs.

-- Achieved national rankings for IRSC as the 10th best college in the Southern Region by U.S. News & World Report and 4th most affordable college by the U.S. Department of Education. It was a Top-10 National Finalist for the 2015 Aspen Prize and was selected as an "Achieving the Dream" college, dedicated to student success. In 2012 Massey represented higher education at a meeting of prominent educational and industry leaders at the White House.

-- Increased Foundation assets by more than 900 percent and raising funds to support student scholarship awards of $3.3 million annually.

-- Secured more than $90 million in local, state, and national grant awards over the past 10 years for projects including the ones I mentioned earlier, ranging from the highly successful Regional Center for Nuclear Education and Training to the new Lasers and Fiber Optics Education Center.

-- Supported high-quality instruction as evidenced by the fact that IRSC consistently ranks No. 1 among the 28 colleges in the Florida College System (FCS) in the percent of budget dedicated directly to instruction, and lowest among FCS institutions in administrative costs.

-- Produced an exemplary fiscal audit history for over 25 years.

Perhaps the greatest tribute to Massey is a number: More than 90 percent of Indian River State College students who graduate in career-based fields are placed directly into jobs.  Ninety percent. 

Call this column a post-script to the education summit I didn't want overlooked. In a region of all-small cities and no large university campus within an hour's commute, Massey's achievement measures tall. 

Reach Nancy Smith at nsmith@sunshinestatenews.com or at 228-282-2423. Twitter: @NancyLBSmith