We told you about a series of forums last week to meet candidates to lead Seattle Central Community College. Tuesday, SCCC announced that Paul Killpatrick has been selected as the school’s new president. Killpatrick joins SCCC from Lake Tahoe Community College and replaces SCCC’s Mildred Ollée led the school for seven years.

The college, located on Broadway at Pine, has a student population of around 18,000 full and part time students. Killpatrick will oversee a staff of nearly 1,000, according to the announcement provided by the college, below.

NEW PRESIDENT NAMED FOR SEATTLE CENTRAL COMMUNITY COLLEGE

SEATTLE – Paul Tracy Killpatrick, who has held leadership posts at colleges in several Western states, will be the next president of Seattle Central Community College.  Killpatrick, who is currently Superintendent-President at Lake Tahoe Community College in California, will begin responsibilities at Seattle Central this summer.

He was selected following a national search and recommendations made by a college-wide committee to Seattle Community Colleges Chancellor Jill A. Wakefield.  “Dr. Killpatrick’s strengths closely match Seattle Central,” Chancellor Wakefield said.  “He has both the needed experience and a well-developed vision for building on Seattle Central’s position as a vibrant multicultural urban campus.” 

Killpatrick has served as president at Lake Tahoe since 2008.  For the previous six years, he was president of Great Basin College in Elko, Nev., whose campuses spanned six counties.  At Mt. Hood Community College in Gresham, Ore., he served two years as the vice president of Instructional Support and Community Development, and four years as vice president of Instruction.  Earlier, he served as dean for Professional and Career Education, and dean for Instructional Support and Special Populations at Yakima Valley Community College in Yakima, Wash., and he also held administrative and faculty positions at Chemeketa Community College in Salem, Ore.

In his leadership positions, he has focused on establishing an institutional culture that supports economic development while also being responsive to the numerous constituencies within the college. He implemented an Honors Program, developed cross-disciplinary courses, expanded distance education and initiated a student-centered class schedule.  Dr. Killpatrick has served on numerous community and higher education boards and committees.  As chair of the Elko County Economic Development Authority, he helped secure funds from the state legislature to establish the Northeastern Nevada Regional Railport.  He also served on the Tahoe Basin Prosperity Plan Steering Committee and the Hispanic-American and Native-American Advisory Boards at Great Basin College.

Dr. Killpatrick holds a doctorate degree in postsecondary education from Oregon State University, a master’s degree in counseling from Western Oregon State University in Monmouth, Ore., and a  bachelor’s degree in social studies from Oregon State University.

Seattle Central Community College has served more than 500,000 students since it was established in 1966 as the first of the Seattle Community Colleges.  A multicultural student body of more than 18,000 credit and non-credit students studies at its campus on Capitol Hill near downtown Seattle and satellite programs at Seattle Maritime Academy and Wood Construction Center.  Seattle Vocational Institute is also a division of the college.    

Access, diversity and student success are hallmarks of the college, which was selected for the Achieving the Dream program by The Lumina Foundation and College Spark.  Student achievement was also recognized by a recent New York Times story that highlighted Central as one of 10 top colleges in an article, “Community College – for Achievers, a New Destination.”  Seattle Central is recognized across the country as among the originators and leaders of the coordinated studies learning model, which organizes courses from several disciplines around a centralized theme, and results in improved student retention and graduation. 

The president will direct a workforce of 991 full- and part-time employees.  The former recent president, Dr. Mildred Ollée, has retired after more than 35 years in community college, and seven as leader at Seattle Central.

The Seattle Community Colleges educate 53,000 students every year at North Seattle, Seattle Central and South Seattle Community Colleges, and at the Seattle Vocational Institute.  College presidents are part of the district-wide leadership team; they report to the district chancellor and also serve as vice chancellors responsible for coordinating specific district-wide areas such as instruction and student services.