Once more into the breach

 

So, yeah, this happened yesterday: the BTC Board of Trustees approved a contract for your humble servant as Interim President and Chief Academic Officer of the college from January 1, 2021 to June 30, 2022. I start shadowing the president on December 1 (no stonewalling the transition team in this transfer of authority).

Besides actually continuing the business of the college to provide workforce education, all that's on the agenda for the year and a half in the job is balancing the college budget in the face of declining revenue and financial support; reversing an enrollment drop that has hopefully hit bottom at 20% down; navigating a change to an entirely new computer system for all campus operations; launching a new Guided Pathways initiative that reconfigures curricula across the college; getting through an Evaluation of Institutional Effectiveness site visit from our regional accrediting body; and opening negotiations for the faculty collective bargaining agreement. Oh - and doing it all on Zoom under pandemic conditions, at least for the near future.

Piece of cake.

Seriously, I am pretty chuffed, as the Great Pottery Throwdown contestants were wont to say. (BTW, that's a great show.) The move to Bellingham and to BTC has been a good one on so many levels, and this is just another positive development stemming from that decision. It's a nice affirmation of what is now a 23-year career in the community and technical college system, and the support and confidence demonstrated by the Trustees, my president, and my colleagues is truly heartening. I thought that Vice President of Academic Affairs was going to be my last, best job... but I guess not.

I have no idea what the situation will be twenty months from now, or where I will wind up for the last few miles of my ride into the sunset, but I am excited to begin this new phase. I think this message from my current assistant accurately sums up what's in store:

Up, up, and away!