Dr. Frank Friedman Goes Back to School

In May 2022, Dr. Frank Friedman retired after 23 years of serving as PVCC’s president. Friedman has been praised by many members of the community for his contributions to PVCC, including the creation of several healthcare and technology programs, increasing both student enrollment and graduation rates, and raising over $27 million in funds for the college.

The news of Friedman’s retirement was met with sadness from students and staff at PVCC and Friedman himself. He would not be gone for long, however, as he recently returned to teaching at PVCC during the fall 2023.

“When I retired, I first took a year where I really did not do anything professionally. And when I decided what I wanted to do, I wanted to come back and teach,” Friedman said.

During the fall semester, Friedman continued to teach the College Success Skills (SDV 100) course, which he previously taught “off and on” during his presidency. Although he is no longer president, Friedman’s goal remains the same: to help students achieve success in college, which he aims to do through teaching the College Success Skills course. College Success Skills is a required course that aims to help students find a career path, connect them with resources they need to succeed in college, such as Financial Aid and the Student Success Office, promote good studying habits, and encourage students to reach out to peers and professors.

“I’ve worked at community colleges for 45 years. I’ve seen a lot of students succeed. Unfortunately, I’ve seen a lot of students not succeed,” said Friedman. “I think through all that experience, I have some ideas of how to help students succeed, and that’s what I can offer to students.”

This statement proved to be true, as Friedman’s knowledge about the college and experience working with students has made him an excellent fit for teaching College Success Skills. Friedman is friendly and easy to talk to, and he is always willing to work with students to help them succeed. Even if he cannot help you with a specific issue, he will point you in the direction of someone who can. He always brings a positive energy to the classroom, and he centers his lessons around overcoming obstacles that stand in between students and their goals. Above all, Friedman remains dedicated to his students and assures them that they are capable of anything they put their minds to.

“The two most important ingredients to college success are attitude and effort. Those are the most important ingredients,” Friedman said. “The students have the ability, the question is do they want it enough – that’s the attitude part – are they motivated enough, and will they put out the effort. And if you combine those: ability, attitude, effort, you’ve got success.”