Sheila Edwards Lange, new interim president of Seattle Central College (Image: Seattle Central)
Sheila Edwards Lange has been appointed interim president of Seattle Central College. She will assume her duties effective August 17.
The former president, Paul Killpatrick, stepped down at the end of June after five years at the helm of the institution.
In a press release, Seattle College District Chancellor Jill Wakefield said Lange’s “skills, experience, and dedication make her a perfect match for Seattle Central.”
Lange holds a doctorate in educational leadership and policy studies from the University of Washington, where she has also served as vice president and vice provost for minority affairs and diversity since 2007. Her UW bio hails her as a “force for diversity,” and notes her efforts to support diverse students and faculty at the university.
Prior to working at the UW, Lange worked at the Seattle College District, both at the main office and at the North Seattle location. “I know the power of community colleges, I know how they transform lives … it’s a great place to work and be impactful in the community,” she told the Seattle Times.
A national search for a permanent president will start this fall.
I’ve had the pleasue of working with Dr. Edwards Lange at UW. She is a wonderful administrator and person, and I think this is great news for Seattle Central!
Good for her. But my skeptical prediction is that she’s already been appointed as the permanent president. The last hiring process was a complete sham, rigged from the beginning by an incompetent chancellor who gave a job to a friend to satisfy the powerful political forces in play. And that appointment was a disaster. He turned out to be a sham as well. Hopefully, Lange is actually someone who knows what she’s doing. The college need actual leadership since all the VPs have jumped ship (wisely) and other “leaders” seem more interested in moving up the incestuous community college admin ladder than in actually serving the college.