Message from Mark James - Transition

Good afternoon students and colleagues of MCC,

On July 1, 2010 I will assume the responsibilities of chancellor of MCC. As chancellor, I will become your biggest advocate. During a recent campus town hall meeting I was asked what my top priority would be. I gave a multi-part answer because of the intricacies of our many challenges. When I finished my answer, the astute questioner succinctly summarized for me that my job as chancellor will be, “to keep the doors open”. I readily accept the charge but I will go one step further--not only will I keep the doors open, but I will aggressively look for new doors for MCC to walk through.

While all public institutions are faced with significant economic challenges, MCC has unprecedented opportunities before us. However, before we can maximally avail ourselves of these opportunities, we have to get our house in order, and this starts with creating a culture of unity of effort. Working with the Chancellor’s Cabinet, I will challenge everyone to think and work beyond their immediate sphere of influence in making MCC fiscally sound for the future and more effective in preparing students, serving communities, and creating opportunities. We have some tough decisions ahead and we are going to tackle them together, not in organizational stovepipes or silos. While unity of effort will be the enabler, the following priorities will be my focus during fiscal year 2011:

· Identifying Revenue Growth Opportunities
· Budget – FY12 and Beyond
· Updating of Policies
· Communication

In the coming weeks, I will share more specific ideas within each of these strategic areas. As we move forward, I will work to ensure our workplace is civil, lawful, ethical, respectful, diverse, inclusive, responsive, enjoyable, and transparent. Helping me in this endeavor, will be my chief of staff, Kathy Walter-Mack. Kathy has served as the chancellor’s director of urban affairs and inclusion for the past year and has proven invaluable in resolving internal issues while improving MCC’s external relations. Kathy brings years of legal and policy experience in the field of education as she previously served as chief counsel for the Kansas City, Missouri School District as well as owned her own consulting business. Kathy has readily accepted my challenge to take on the “24/7” responsibility of serving as my chief of staff. Her skills and experience will serve MCC well. Please see her attached bio for further details.

These are challenging but exciting times for MCC. Together, we will excel, achieve, and remain a recognized cutting-edge leader in higher education. We are one MCC.

Sincerely,
Mark