Four finalists have been chosen in the search for the next chancellor of the St. Louis Community College system.
The school said Friday that the four will appear in public forums next week, so students, staff and members of the community can meet them and ask questions. The forums will be held at the school’s four campuses – Florissant Valley, Forest Park, Meramec and Wildwood – as well as at its administrative center downtown.
The final candidates are:
- Richard Dawe, president of Ozarka College
- Beverlee McClure, CEO of the New Mexico Association of Commerce & Industry
- Rod Nunn, interim president of St. Louis Community College’s Forest Park campus
- Jeff Pittman, vice provost for online education at Ivy Tech Community College
Richard Dawe
Richard Dawe has served as president of Ozarka College in Arkansas since July 2009. Previously, he was vice chancellor of the Ventura County Community College District in Ventura, Calif., a three-college system that serves more than 36,000 students.
Dawe serves on Saint Louis University-Parks College’s Engineering, Aviation and Technology Graduate Advisory Board and chairs the Melbourne Airport Commission. He holds a doctorate in public policy and administration from Saint Louis University.
Beverlee J. McClure
Since July 2007, Beverlee J. McClure has served as president and CEO of the New Mexico Association of Commerce & Industry, where she is responsible for leading and directing the statewide chamber of commerce. She also served as the first New Mexico secretary of higher education for two years.
McClure also served as the president of Clovis (N.M.) Community College for five-plus years and is the board chair for YES! Housing and treasurer of the New Mexico Community Capital Board.
Rod Nunn
Rod Nunn has served as interim president at St. Louis Community College’s Forest Park campus since May. Prior to his appointment, he was vice chancellor for economic development and workforce solutions.
Before joining the college in 2008, Nunn directed the public workforce system for three governors in both Missouri and Illinois. Under Nunn's leadership, the college's workforce development team won numerous national, state and local awards.
Jeff L. Pittman
Since January 2013, Jeff L. Pittman has served as the statewide vice president of corporate college services and online education at Ivy Tech Community College of Indiana. The school is Indiana’s community college system; with 30 campuses in 14 regions, it is the state’s largest public postsecondary institution.
Pittman also served as statewide vice provost for distance education for three years. Under his leadership, the college’s enrollment in distance education doubled from slightly more than 32,728 in 2008 to 65,470 in 2010.
Interim Chancellor Dennis Michaelis, who has headed the college system since October 2013, is retiring effective June 30. He was hired after the departure of Myrtle Dorsey in September 2013, when the board granted her request for personal leave.
Her departure came in the wake of controversy over an assault on a female student in a restroom on the Meramec campus, an incident that also led to the resignation of George Wasson as president at Meramec.