First Year Experience

Dr. Leonard Bass is a seasoned faculty and senior administrator with 20 years of experience in higher education.  He has served in various sectors of post-secondary education and in a variety of positions.  Since 2012, he has been serving as the Dean of the Learning Support division on the East and Winter Park Campuses of Valencia College in Orlando, Florida.  In his role, he is responsible for the development of innovative academic support programming and strategic planning efforts aimed at ensuring student learning.  His division is comprised of the Library, Tutoring and Testing, Learning Communities, Supplemental Learning, Service Learning, and all Student Life Skills courses.  

John is an educator, university professor and administrator, non-profit organization chief executive officer, author, editor, public speaker, consultant, change agent, student retention specialist, first-year, sophomore, transfer, and senior year students’ advocate, and initiator and scholar of the American first-year and senior-year reform movements. He serves as President of the John N. Gardner Institute for Excellence in Undergraduate Education (JNGI).