WNCC 2010 Self-Study Report - Western Nebraska Community ...

years before leaving to assume a presidency at another college in a border state (a goal of
his since before coming to work at WNCC).
A Foundation Executive Director was hired and then took a leave after four months to work
on the Obama presidential campaign in Nebraska. After the election, he returned, but then
resigned soon after to take a job at the Department of Agriculture in Washington, D.C.
The Director of College Relations also left, but the position was filled relatively quickly.
The Associate Dean of the Northern Panhandle at the Alliance Campus stepped down to
rejoin the teaching faculty. Of the original President’s Cabinet, only the President, The
Vice President of Human Resources and Institutional Development, and the Executive
Director of IT have remained in place since 2006. The Vice President of Outreach and the
Dean of Educational Services, both appointed in 2007, have remained in their positions.
As a result these changes, some administrators have needed to take on extra loads in
order to maintain institutional functions. Another complication arose when the national
searches for replacement administrators did not produce candidates that members of the
search committees believed were the correct fit for the positions. It took two rounds of
searches to hire the Vice President of Student Services, and the search for a Vice
President of Educational Services stretched for over a year. Obviously, no matter how
talented or experienced the new administrators are, it takes time to learn the system at a
new place, and it takes time to learn the culture of the institution.
Currently, the Associate Dean for the Northern Panhandle position is scheduled to be filled
in November, and a new Vice President of Educational Services came to work in July
2009. The Vice President of Student Services takes office in September of 2009.
Despite the challenges of an administrative staff trying to maintain consistent operations
when short-handed, the College has not faltered, in fact continuing to grow in enrollments
and FTE production. The personnel who have departed have done so for a variety of
reasons as well, two of them for professional advancement opportunities for which they
were recruited rather than having even applied, and at least two others for personal
reasons relating to family situations. As of now, the President’s Cabinet is back to full
force and no resignations are anticipated for a long time, each of the new administrative
officers having committed to a staying at the College. They likely will do so, since the
College is growing and new leaders will have a more influence in configuring WNCC for
the future, which the new Dean of Administrative Services and two Vice Presidents view as
an exciting and gratifying opportunity.
6) Handicap accessibility, including adequate parking areas, should be reviewed and
brought into compliance.
A number of improvements to the physical plant and building zone access points have
been made, as can be seen in the examples listed below.
1. Lighting has been enhanced in the parking lots
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Western Nebraska Community College