Dr. Jianping Wang, President of Mercer County College, came to the United States from her native China over 30 years ago. Having been a teacher for years at the university level, she was looking for a new educational challenge and to expand into higher education administration. It was a difficult to make such a big move, but she believes in the power of education and wanted to pursue the opportunities. As Dr. Wang says, “I went to college, and never left!”

Dr. Wang served in a number of administrative positions at community colleges such as Ocean County College, Roxbury Community College in Boston, SUNY Westchester Community College in Valhalla, NY, and others, before beginning her tenure as President of Mercer County Community College in 2015. She has a real love of community colleges, which is why she has made it the focus of her career. “Investing in the future is never a bad thing,” she says. “But don’t invest foolishly. Community college gives you a way to continue learning and start in an affordable way. You can still work, and still find the knowledge and experience to take you the next step in your career.”

She has also been an early adopter of technology in higher education settings. “This era is changing our way of learning, life, work, and entertainment – we cannot be separated from tech,” Dr. Wang notes. She also points out that,”Tech is a major equalizer to parts of the world that are not served.”

Dr. Wang recognizes how tech can connect people, yet there aren’t as many women connected to technology as there should be. “No country can move forward without women being involved,” she notes. From her position as President at MCCC, Dr. Wang encourages female students to pursue tech from both educational and practical levels. While students are learning about tech, they need a place to practice. Dr. Wang encourages business and college connections to help students continue to learn and gain practical experience. The partnership between business and education, the focus on encouraging women in tech, and the hands-on, individual partnership offered are some of the things that attracted her to SheTek.

Her service on the Advisory Board provides a distinct voice and perspective, as an educator and as a woman who brings a voice to cross-cultural exchange and understanding. With her responsibilities as the President of MCCC, and the many boards and panels on which she serves, SheTek is glad that Dr. Wang has chosen to be a valuable part of our Power Team.