AC Presidential Search

The S e a r c h f or A m a r il lo Col l e g e ’s 14th President

AMARILLO COLLEGE

Amarillo College (AC) is a thriving community college serving nine counties in the heart of the Texas Panhandle. Comprising seven campuses and one outreach center, AC enrolled nearly 11,000 academic students in fall 2013 and offered 143 academic and certificate programs. An additional 25,000 area residents take

advantage of a wide assortment of continuing education offerings in professional development and personal enrichment.

AC’s seven campuses are spread throughout Amarillo and two

neighboring communities. The Community Link outreach center serves the specific needs of the local Latino population. AC’s

newest campuses are located 45 minutes north of Amarillo in

Dumas, Texas, and 45 minutes west in Hereford, Texas, where the 33,000-square-foot Everett and Mabel McDougal Hinkson Memorial Campus just opened its doors.

Established in 1929, Amarillo College has enjoyed a successful

and enduring positive alliance with the community, partnering with local industry, civic groups and the arts. The Amarillo Museum of

Art, Amarillo Opera and the area’s Suzuki Program are all housed

on Amarillo College’s Washington Street campus. AC is one of only two community colleges in Texas to own a television station with

membership in the Public Broadcasting Service (PBS). In addition, AC works as a team with other regional educational entities,

including independent school districts, West Texas A&M University and Texas Tech University.

In 2007, Amarillo voters overwhelming approved a $68.3 million AC capital-improvement bond issue. By a three-to-one margin, citizens affirmed the need to invest in Amarillo’s future by

empowering AC to construct state-of-the-art dental hygiene and nursing facilities and a new science laboratory building.

Additionally, the bond enabled numerous and extensive upgrades to existing buildings on several campuses.

Each fall, more than 1,500 AC students qualify for the Honors Program with a grade point average of 3.0 or higher. Twenty of these scholars are chosen annually as Presidential Honors Scholars and are provided the opportunity to travel internationally. In 2013, AC’s Presidential Honors Scholars visited China; in 2014 they will travel to Thailand and Cambodia.

As a member of the elite Achieving the Dream network of community colleges in the United States, AC is meeting the charge to use data in decision-making and is on track to be named a Leader College in the AtD network in the near

future. In 2012, AC became the nation’s first No Excuses Community College, challenging its faculty and staff to be diligent in carrying out AC’s vision that every student will succeed. An increasing rate of student retention is proof that AC student-success initiatives are working.

Amarillo College is fortunate to attract students, faculty and staff who are nationally recognized for their work. In 2014, Phi Theta Kappa National

Honor Society named an AC student as a Silver Scholar on its Community College Academic Team. AC’s Vice President of Academic Affairs won the Instructional Leadership Award from the National Council of Instructional

Administrators (NCIA) in 2013. In 2011, the Chair of Math and Engineering at AC was named one of four Outstanding Community College Professors in

the Nation by the Council for Advancement and Support of Education (CASE) and the Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching.

AC certainly faces challenges in a time of decreasing state funding and

increasing student needs. At least 50 percent of AC students live in poverty and more than 70 percent are the first in their family to attend college. To

meet these demands, to expand services for students, and to continue on the path of increasing graduation rates, AC has a renewed and intentional focus on fundraising and obtaining grants.

In short, Amarillo College is true to its mission and continues to strive to enrich the lives of its students and the community.

Mission

Amarillo College enriching the lives of our students and our community.

PRESIDENT The President serves as the chief executive officer of the

College, providing leadership in developing and understanding institutional objectives. The President reports to the Board of

Regents and directs the planning efforts of the College toward

meeting objectives and community expectations. The President is responsible for hiring key administrative personnel and reviewing the hiring selections of other College personnel.

Qualifications Qualifications of the College President should include the following: 1. Commitment to the philosophy of a comprehensive community college.

2. The ability to work effectively with College personnel, students, and local and state governments.

Successful candidates must have earned a doctorate degree from an accredited institution; all candidates must have at least five

years of successful, upper-level college administrative experience.

Experience at a public community college is preferred.

AMARILLO, TEXAS

Amarillo is the fourteenth most populous city in Texas, the largest community in the Texas Panhandle and the seat of Potter County. Ideally located on

Interstate 40, a major thoroughfare for nationwide commerce, and with an international airport and major rail and road networks, Amarillo has often been referred to as “the city in the middle of everywhere!”

The city is the center of the 26-county Panhandle region. The 2014 estimated

population of Amarillo is more than 198,000, and the population of Potter and Randall counties combined surpasses 251,500.

QUALITY OF LIFE • Amarillo Now Ranks 17th Best Performing U.S. Small City out of 179 metro areas (Milken Survey) • Amarillo Residential Real Estate market – 7th Spot on the Top 10 “Markets to Watch” • Recipient of Bill & Melinda Gates – Partners for Postsecondary Success Grant

Rankings

Local & Regional

• Amarillo Ranks #134 out of 366 MSA’s in the Policom Survey

• Regional Educational Center

Economic Strength

• Up 22 from last year • Up 176 since 2004 • Measure of “Rapid, Consistent Growth in Both Size and Quality for An Extended Period of Time” (Policom Corporation)

Educational Opportunities

• Amarillo College • West Texas A&M University • Texas A&M Experiment Station • USDA – Agricultural Research Service • Texas A&M Veterinary Diagnostic Laboratory • Texas Tech University Engineering Masters Degree Program • Wayland Baptist University

Diversified Local & Regional

Employment Base • Bell Helicopter Textron – Military and Civilian Aircraft • Regional Medical Center • AIG Insurance • Atmos Energy • Xcel Energy/Southwestern Public Service Company • Pacific Cheese Company • Affiliated Foods, Inc.

• Ben E. Keith • Tyson Fresh Meats • Pantex Nuclear Weapons Plant • Baptist Saint Anthony Hospital • Northwest Texas Hospital • Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center • Texas Tech University School of Pharmacy

Interested applicants contact: Lynn Thornton,

An Equal Opportunity Community College

Director of Administrative Services/Human Resources

(806) 371-5044 llthornton@actx.edu

Amarillo College is accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges to award associate degrees and certificates.