On April 6 and 7, students, faculty and staff attended forums for each of the candidates who will replace her as the district’s CEO. Chancellor Zelema Harris, Ed.D., will be leaving her position as chancellor of STLCC on June 30. The Board of Trustees announced Dr. Myrtle Dorsey, PhD, as the new chancellor via a district-wide e-mail on April 14.
Here is an overview of each one of the three candidates.
Myrtle E.B. Dorsey, Ph.D.
Steve Duncan
– Staff Writer –
With 33 years of experience in higher education, Dr. Myrtle Dorsey, PhD, chancellor of Baton Rouge Community College (BRCC) and chair-elect of the American Association of Community Colleges (AACC), said her experience in various types of institutions has prepared her for the position of chancellor of STLCC.
“I try to keep us moving ahead. I try to keep us together as a team,” Dorsey said. “You can get far more done, cheaper, as a group than you can as individuals.”
BRCC grew from 1,850 students to 8,440 students in 12 years, according to Dorsey.
“We try to do some innovative kinds of things,” Dorsey said. “We have entertainment technology. We have video-gaming development, as part of that.”
Dorsey said that student focus groups help guide her executive team’s decisions in programs and services offered. The president of the Student Government Association (SGA) and the president of the Faculty Senate serve on her cabinet.
“Including people is important to keep the ideas flowing and the energy flowing,” Dorsey said.
According to Dorsey, BRCC’s budget operates at 63 percent by negotiating vendor’s contracts with double-digit returns, digitizing documents and closing buildings during the summer session.
“We saved $10,000.00 by closing one building,” Dorsey said.
Dorsey said that she doesn’t say no to any job.
“Whatever job I do, I can learn something from it,” Dorsey said. “No one can take that knowledge from you and you can pass it on to others.”
Marcia Pfeiffer, Ph.D.
Joe Douglas
– Editor-in-Chief –
Marcia Pfeiffer, president of STLCC-Florissant Valley, took her 30-plus years of experience in STLCC to the Chancellor Forum on April 7.
The Florissant Valley president opened her presentation with a focus on student success. “What happens in the classroom is the most critical factor in the achievement of our students,” Pfeiffer said.
One expectation Pfeiffer holds herself to, she said, is fostering better communication between K through 12 schools and STLCC.
“We need to get ourselves in a position to where we’re actually talking with them [superintendents] about what’s happening inside the college and what’s happening in their institutions and how is it that we’re going to make a better pathway to address what I think are pretty obvious statements,” Pfeiffer said.
Pfeiffer first joined STLCC as a faculty member. She served as department chair from 1986 to 1993, associate dean for business and human development for four years and executive dean for two years. She has worked at Florissant Valley and Forest Park.
“We have very different cultures and traditions,” Pfeiffer said. “So while there are many things I know about St. Louis Community College, and many things I’ve learned about the college as a whole… I have a lot to learn.”
In addition, Pfeiffer has also spear-headed the development of the Emerson Center for Engineering and Manufacturing which opened in 2004.
“I think the reality of the situation is we must be focused on the work we need to do around student success,” Pfeiffer said.
Thomas Klincar, Ph.D.
Shane Rice
– News Editor –
President of John Wood Community College (JWCC) in Quincy, Ill., Thomas Klincar, Ph.D., joined two other candidates in the chancellor open forums on April 6 and 7.
Klincar spent 28 years as an officer in the U.S. Air Force before retiring as a full colonel in July 2008. He said it was his experience as an officer that gives him the experience and knowledge needed to become the next chancellor for STLCC.
“I’m a road warrior more than anything else, I like to get out there and see what’s going on within our district,” Klincar said. “If it’s a performing arts show, sporting events or students doing something special, I want to be there and experience it. I get a better idea about what’s going on by being part of the college community and listening to the needs of students, faculty and staff.”
Klincar’s prior positions include commander of the USAF’s College for Enlisted Professional Military Education and commandant of the Community College of the Air Force. In 2008, Klincar was appointed president of JWCC.
With a doctorate in literature and language arts from De La Salle University, Klincar also holds a master’s degree in systems management from the University of Southern California and a bachelor’s degree in journalism from Southern Illinois University Carbondale.
“A chancellor needs to be not only engaged with the people on campus but an advocate,” Klincar said. “I will to be out there talking with the major employers and working with the students, learning the ways of our community to help this institution become even more of a success.”
