Dr. John Selmon | Muskegon Community College

In this episode of the Champions Coffee Podcast (and as part of our Heroes of Higher Ed series), Vygo Co-Founder & Co-CEO Ben Hallett sits down with Dr. John Selmon, President of Muskegon Community College (MCC), to explore how purpose-driven leadership can build real pathways to opportunity for students and communities.

With more than three decades of experience across public and private higher education, Dr. Selmon’s journey into leadership was shaped by a deeply personal motivation the pursuit of a better life. Growing up in a family of eleven, education became a shared mission and a powerful vehicle for economic mobility. Since becoming president of MCC in 2022, he has led with humility, perseverance, and an unwavering belief in the transformative power of education.

Ben and Dr. Selmon discuss how MCC is advancing student success through the Jayhawk Hub, a comprehensive basic-needs support ecosystem powered by 37 community partners, as well as the college’s forward-looking approach to AI-ready teaching and learning. Together, they unpack what student success truly means—meeting learners where they are, supporting their goals, and creating outcomes that lead to transfer, workforce readiness, and family-sustaining wages.

This conversation highlights how community colleges, when deeply connected to their regions and guided by compassionate leadership, can serve as engines of equity, talent development, and lasting opportunity.