Emerging leader Beth Binder helps shape mid Michigan’s future workforce through accessible education

People’s experiences within a community are varied, but one common thread is that each person’s experience is the result of a string of choices and decisions—both personal and external. Thus, a community’s story is written by the collective choices its members make. 

Often, the pressure to make a decision can lead to the perception that the story is being written too quickly, or haphazardly. 

For these instances, people like Beth Binder are the remedy. 

Binder has made important decisions of her own, particularly as it pertains to the Mt. Pleasant community. Originally from Sandusky, Michigan, Binder graduated from Central Michigan University and worked for her alma mater for several years before moving out of state.

However, after the opportunity presented itself to live nearly anywhere, Binder and her husband chose to move back to Mt. Pleasant. 

Through her position as the director of admissions at Mid Michigan College, Binder now finds herself in a position to help others make similarly impactful choices in their lives. 

“[I think it’s important] to make education barrier-free and to make education more accessible … The process of going back to school can be really daunting and so we try to make that part easy,” says Binder. 

Far from just an idealist, Binder’s work has produced the data to support her sentiment. 

“We have seen a huge bump in enrollment within the last year. We had a 20% increase in enrollment across all of our counties,” Binder says. 

With community colleges hosting many non-traditional students, Binder’s work helps support an under-served subset of the education community. 

“I love the community college atmosphere,” she explains. “It breaks down barriers and opens doors for those that might not otherwise be able to pursue an education. That’s why we try to make the application process easy. One of the bigger parts of my job is to make sure the application process is accessible.”

As part of her work in increasing accessibility, Binder is currently working on a program that would directly admit all in-district students, voiding the need for an application and allowing local students a smoother path to further education. 

While Binder’s efforts are beneficial for Mid Michigan College and the individual students within, they also benefit the Mt. Pleasant community; Binder is the first point of contact in producing the community’s future workforce. 

“A lot of students just don’t know what’s available in terms of career pathways. [A lot] of students think it’s just doctor, teacher, or lawyer, but we know there’s a lot more options than those,” she says. “So, it’s just helpful to expose them to different options and then how those lead to certifications and degrees in college.”

Part of Binder’s desire to help students in the area realize their potential comes from her own positive experiences within the community. 

“There’s a lot to get involved with in Isabella County in general. It’s nice because it’s a smaller community, but there’s lots of access and lots of opportunities to get out there and start building your network.” 

“[Mt. Pleasant] has the small community-feel where you can go to the store and see people you know, or attend community events and see friends there, but you also still have access to important amenities,” she continues.

For Binder, the love of the Mt. Pleasant community has so clearly translated from her personal life to her professional life. In her professional role, Binder is uniquely positioned to watch the community’s future workforce develop and grow, a process in which she plays a key role. 

Binder is careful not to take this opportunity for granted. 

“Sometimes, you’re just checking boxes and making sure you’re getting people through the system, but [it helps] to zoom out and really think about the impact you’re making and remember how important education is to people,” she says. “Students come in here with big dreams and then we get to help them with that.” 

“There were two students who I met with three years ago [for a project] and they still remembered me,” she recalls. “They remembered that I helped them apply and fill out their FAFSA. It was just really cool to see them blossom over time.”