President Search
The Board of Trustees announced the search is underway for the next President of Midland College.
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Trustees Announce Sole Finalist
Dr. Damon Kennedy
The Midland College Board of Trustees is pleased to announce that Dr. Damon Kennedy has been selected as the sole finalist for the position of President of Midland College.
Overview
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Our Next President
The Board of Trustees at Midland College (MC) is actively seeking the fifth President
in the College’s 50-year history; after his successful 15-year tenure, President Steve
Thomas has announced his retirement. The new President will honor the unique culture,
traditions, and history of MC and provide leadership in taking the College to its
next level of achievement.
Located in the heart of the Permian Basin, MC sits at the energy epicenter of both
the State of Texas and the country. Since its creation, the College has been a valuable
and critical partner of the oil and gas industry.
MC focuses on providing higher education, community services, and cultural enrichment
to the Midland community and the surrounding area. The College offers a rich and exciting
range of opportunities and services as well as a quality, affordable educational experience.
Every semester, over 5,000 credit students attend MC at approximately one-third the
cost of other Texas four-year public institutions.
The College provides a distinctive mix of faculty excellence and individualized attention
to create a supportive learning environment where students can excel. At MC, students
learn to critically analyze issues, appropriately apply technology, and effectively
communicate their ideas. The institution prides itself on providing students with
one-on-one interaction with top faculty in an environment that emphasizes student
learning and accomplishment.
MC offers three bachelor’s degrees that prepare students with associate degrees to
advance in their careers. Courses in the College’s academic programs transfer easily
to four-year universities, and MC’s career and technical associate degree and certificate
programs provide the skills necessary for successful careers. The College enjoys strong
partnerships with local businesses and expeditiously develops continuing education
courses in response to industry needs.
The next President of MC will be a creative thinker who can imagine and implement
plans for the future of the institution and the community. The President will exhibit
an eager and responsive attitude and serve as a convener positioning the College as
a principal collaborator in the region. This President will be approachable, action-oriented,
and connected with the community, the workforce, employers and funders, and will spearhead
the creation of a regional CTE center in partnership with the local school district
and the business community.
The new President will have the opportunity to lead the development of a Strategic
Plan for the institution to include a master plan that will guide the creation of
new facilities, physical plant upgrades, and infrastructure improvements. The President
will prioritize the creation of an equitable and competitive salary structure that
will attract and support retention of quality faculty and staff. The President will
be actively engaged with the community and create strong working relationships with
neighboring educational entities, community and economic development entities and
leaders of business and industry.
The President of MC will be a high-energy leader fully committed to the following:
Challenges and Opportunities
- Maintaining the outstanding culture, traditions, and reputation of MC
- Continuing to improve academic transfer and workforce education
- Strengthening strategic alliances with PK-12 and transfer institutions
- Increasing educational opportunities for regional rural communities with a particular emphasis on CTE opportunities for the rural school districts
- Identifying strategies to reverse a pattern of declining enrollment, to improve retention, and to advance success, completion, and matriculation rates
- Engaging with the MC Foundation to secure essential capital resources in support of the Master Plan, build upon the healthy endowed assets for scholarships, and significantly increase the level of unrestricted funds
- Honoring the ethnic and cultural diversity of the College and the community
- Fostering existing relationships and building strong alliances with business and industry leaders to provide relevant credit and non-credit training leading to employment opportunities for students in high-demand careers
- Seeking to restore the College’s Hispanic Serving Institution (HSI) designation
- Adding value to the community through continued support of the College’s cultural events
- Developing a comprehensive regional approach to career and technical education that involves the local school districts, business and industry, and economic development entities
Ideal Characteristics
- A leader who supports an environment of trust, shared governance, open dialogue, transparency, and honest collaboration
- A student-focused leader with a proven track record as a student-oriented advocate
- An individual with a successful track record who is fully committed to diversity, equity, and inclusion.
- An individual who will provide leadership in achieving the highest standards of performance in teaching and learning
- A data-driven decision maker who is bold, innovative, creative, and understands how potential changes may impact students, faculty, staff, and the community
- An individual with demonstrated success in increasing resource development, fundraising efforts, and working with foundations
- An educational leader with a proven track record of successful interactions with public education and dual credit initiatives
- An individual with experience working with large and complex budgets
- A leader with demonstrated successful experience in working with a state legislature and other elected officials
- An advocate for training opportunities who actively engages with business, civic, industry, and community leaders
- A highly visible leader who actively participates in college functions and activities, non-profit organizations, and civic activities and who is committed to being a part of the community
- An individual who embraces and leverages technology and supports continued investment in the technology infrastructure
- An individual with experience in working with an elected Board of Trustees to achieve the goals of the College
- An exceptional listener who communicates effectively and engages with all constituent groups, including students
- An individual with extensive experience in regional accreditation
- A leader who exhibits grace under pressure and when facing challenges
- A leader who has an open-door policy to faculty, staff and students
Minimum Qualifications
- Earned doctorate from a regionally accredited institution is required
- Minimum of 3 years, preferably 5 years, of successful experience as a senior-level administrator
- Full-time community college experience in instructional services, student services, or financial services is highly desirable
Application Period Closed
This is a confidential search process. To ensure full consideration, application materials
should be received no later than March 27, 2023. The position will remain open until
filled.
Documentation Requirements
Candidates need to have the following information or materials available to complete
the application:
- A letter of application (not to exceed 5 pages) that succinctly addresses the opportunities and challenges identified in the Position Profile and demonstrates how the candidate’s experience and professional qualifications prepare them to serve as the President of Midland College.
- A current resume including an email address and cellular telephone number.
- A list of eight references: example, two to three supervisors, two to three direct reports, and two to three faculty and/or staff members from current and former institutions.
Questions?
For additional information, nominations or confidential inquiries please contact:
Bill Holda, Ed.D.
ACCT Search Consultant
wmholda@gmail.com
(903) 987-3332 (mobile)
*An ACCT Search*
Early February 2023
ACCT Search Consultant facilitates a series of virtual open Public Forums to solicit feedback to inform the development of the draft Presidential Profile.
- Board Presidential Search Committee training and orientation; Board Presidential Search Committee receives, reviews, and edits the draft Position Profile.
- Board of Trustees to discuss, edit, and finalize the Presidential Profile. Profile posted on midland.edu and acctsearches.org; ACCT to commence local, state-wide, regional, and national recruitment.
March 27, 2023
Target Date for applications. Position remains open until filled.
Early April 2023
Board Presidential Search Committee Meeting: discussion and selection of confidential semifinalist candidates.
April 2023
Board Presidential Search Committee Meeting: confidential interviews with semifinalists. The Committee deliberates and selects finalists to forward to the Board for further consideration.
Early May 2023
Finalists interview with the full Board, tour campus, participate in open public forums, meet with direct reports.
Mid-May 2023
Board of Trustees meets to select a sole finalist and announces the next President of Midland College. Board waits 21 days to vote formally.
July 1, 2023
Anticipated start date for the next President of Midland College.
Contact
If you have any questions or suggestions, or would like to make a confidential inquiry,
please contact:
Bill Holda, Ed.D.
ACCT Search Consultant
wmholda@gmail.com
(903) 987-3332