Dr. Terry O'Banion
O'Banion was widely recognized as the architect of the "learning college" movement and dedicated his 60-year career to transforming how community colleges serve students.
Under O'Banion's visionary leadership from 1983 to 1999, the League for Innovation grew from a small regional consortium to what Change magazine called "the most dynamic organization in the community college world" in 1998, serving over 750 colleges internationally.
O'Banion was widely regarded as one of the most prolific and provocative writers on the community college in the history of the community college, with more than 300 publications to his name. His 1997 landmark book, A Learning College for the 21st Century, fundamentally shifted how educators think about community college mission and practice, earning him the Phillip E. Frandson Award for Literature in the Field of Continuing Higher Education.
The "learning college" concept O'Banion pioneered emphasized placing learning first in all institutional decisions, fundamentally transforming how community colleges approach student success. His framework moved institutions from being teaching-centered to learning-centered, focusing on measurable student outcomes rather than just course offerings.
O'Banion's career trajectory reflected his deep commitment to community college education at every level. He served as Dean of Students at Central Florida Community College, Founding Dean at Santa Fe Community College in Florida, and Vice Chancellor for Education for the Dallas County Community College District in Texas before assuming leadership roles that would shape the national conversation about community colleges.
Beyond his administrative roles, O'Banion held academic appointments including Professor of Higher Education at the University of Illinois, Distinguished Visiting Professor at The University of Texas at Austin, and positions at UC Berkeley, Florida State University, University of Hawaii, and University of Toronto. At the time of his death, he was Senior Professor of Practice in the Community College Leadership Program at Kansas State University.
