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Edison
Community College Trustee Darryl Mehaffie told members and
guests at Saturday’s monthly Darke County Republican Men’s Club meeting
that Edison’s recently appointed president, Cristobal Valdez, wants to
take the college to the “next level” and will be good at negotiation
and drawing people together to accomplish it.
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Edison President
Valdez will think “outside the box”
By Bob Robinson
Editor
Feb. 20, 2011
GREENVILLE – Newly appointed President Cristobal (Cris) Valdez will be
coming to a well-rounded institution that has made significant gains in
recent years in the variety and types of degrees it offers, according
to Edison Community College Trustee Darryl Mehaffie.
“He thinks outside the box,” Mehaffie told members and guests at
Saturday’s monthly Darke County Republican Men’s Club meeting. “He
wants to take the college to the next level, and will be good at
negotiation and drawing people together to do it.”
Valdez leaves his position as Campus Provost and Chief Executive
Officer for the Detroit Lakes campus of Minnesota State and Technical
College, where he served since March 2007. He was also serving as
Provost of the Wadena Campus and Vice President and Chief Student
Affairs Officer for M State.
Valdez earned his bachelor’s degree in social work at the University of
Montana, master of social work at Eastern Washington University, and an
Ed.D. in Community College Leadership at Oregon State University. Prior
to his appointment at M State, Valdez was Dean of Students at the
University of Montana-Helena.
According to a bio released by Edison, Valdez believes that
comprehensive community and technical colleges allow people to dream
and provide the opportunities for those people to realize their dreams.
He believes community colleges should remain open-door institutions
that aspire to both high academic standards and high rates of student
retention and success.
“As leaders, we must demand excellence in each of the above areas,” he
said.
Mehaffie noted that Edison was not without its problems, referring in
part to the 12-16 percent of its budget that is in the hands of
decision-makers in Columbus. Valdez will have the vision to make strong
strides to the future in all areas, including funding, for both Miami
and Darke County campuses.
Mehaffie noted that no longer are students limited to Certificates and
Associates Degrees, he said. They can get Bachelors and Masters Degrees
without ever stepping foot off campus. These are offered through
cooperative programs with the University of Dayton and other colleges.
He told the group that one of the strong positives of a community
college is the ability to respond more quickly to the demands of
industry than the traditional four-year college. One example he noted
was the nursing program at Edison.
“It has a waiting list for applicants,” he said.
Mehaffie noted that with Pres. Kenneth Yowell’s announcement that he
intended to retire this year, the Board of Trustees began its search
last August. It chose a “search” agency at a cost of more than $60,000.
After providing the agency with the qualifications requirements, the
Board received about 60 applications. This was quickly narrowed down to
14.
The Board then set up an advisory committee, which narrowed the list
down to eight. The committee interviewed those applicants then narrowed
the list down to four. These individuals were invited to the campus to
meet with the Trustees.
The advisory committee held a vote, which it submitted to the Executive
Committee of the Board, who then recommended two individuals to the
entire Board. The position was offered to – and accepted by – Valdez.
The official announcement will be made following the Trustees meeting
Wednesday.
Yowell, who served as Edison’s president for 23 years, retires April 1.
Valdez will officially take the helm on May 2.
Attendees included Jesse Green, Republican candidate for Municipal
Court; Cindy Pike, Darke County Clerk of Courts; Mike Stegall, Darke
County Commissioner; Kelly Ormsby, Darke County Prosecutor; and Todd
Oliver, Greenville City Council.
Oliver said that the city’s budget was tight this year, noting that
some layoffs may occur and other positions will be left vacant due to
attrition. Ormsby said Common Pleas Court prosecutions were up in
December, and especially in January.
The next scheduled meeting of the Darke County Republican Men’s Club
will be March 19 in the Employee Dining Room of Brethren Retirement
Community. Scheduled speaker is State Rep. Jim Buchy.
Bob Robinson is the
retired editor of The Daily Advocate, Greenville, Ohio, a Senior Scribe
and Editor of County News Online. If you wish to receive a daily
notification of County News Online posts, send your email address to:
countynewsonline@gmail.com. Feel free to express your views.
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