MCC mourns loss of former Blue River president

Malcolm Wilson, former president of MCC-Blue River, passed away on Saturday, July 30.

Malcolm was injured in a motorcycle accident last year, leaving him with debilitating injuries. Despite his injuries, he remained a beacon of hope and encouragement for all who visited with him, family and friends said.

Malcolm served as MCC-Blue River president from 2001-2007. He first came to MCC in 1983 to serve as dean of students at MCC-Penn Valley, then became director of student development in 1996. He served in that role until 1998 when he was named interim vice chancellor of student resources and development, a role he held until he was appointed president of Blue River.

A memorial service will be held Thursday, August 4, noon to 1 p.m. at the Heartland Church of Christ, 6120 NW Prairie View Road, Kansas City, Mo. 64151. In lieu of flowers, Malcolm's family has suggested contributions be made to the Malcolm T. Wilson Difference Maker Fund at the MCC Foundation.

Malcolm was respected as a man of integrity dedicated to the ideals of diversity. He will be truly missed by the many people whose lives he touched. To observe his passing, the MCC flag at each MCC campus has been be lowered to half-staff until the completion of his funeral.

Chancellor: Search for MCC-Blue River president officially begins

Chancellor Mark James visited the MCC-Blue River campus today to announce the beginning of the official national search for a new campus president. Primary qualities sought in this individual shall be that he or she is dynamic, experienced in the field of education administration, demonstrates an understanding of budgetary concerns and knowledge of how to achieve success on the financial side of the position, and a variety of other noteworthy skills and abilities.

Concerns about budgetary struggles came up near the end of the meeting, and the chancellor approached them with all due concern, stating that our pragmatic approach to increasing revenue would include creating more programs that bring the school additional income. The I.W.I. program which has already experienced great success in forming over fifty lucrative business contracts was used as a great example of new opportunities and revenue streams at MCC.

Other plans may include expanding our collegiate district’s footprint and finding ways to serve college-bound individuals in the St. Joseph area whom will no longer find A+ and associate’s degree programs at Missouri Western that were available in previous years. Missouri Western’s recent move to become a university has engendered a number of opportunities for MCC in the St. Joseph area.

Seabrooks appointed president of MCC-Penn Valley

MCC Chancellor Mark James has appointed Joseph Seabrooks, Jr., Ph.D., as president of MCC-Penn Valley.

Seabrooks has served as interim president of MCC-Penn Valley since December. He joined the five-campus college district in 2007 as president of MCC-Blue River. He has retained the MCC-Blue River presidency during his time as interim president of MCC-Penn Valley.

“During his interim assignment at MCC-Penn Valley, Dr. Seabrooks demonstrated a passion and vision that made it obvious he was the perfect person to assume the presidency of the Penn Valley campus,” said James. “I am confident that this appointment will mean great things for MCC-Penn Valley.”

Seabrooks will hold the interim presidency of MCC-Blue River until a permanent president is appointed. The college district will soon initiate a national search process to fill that position.

Seabrooks is well respected in the higher education community, having earned a number of local and regional awards for educational leadership. He spent 10 years at the University of Missouri-Kansas City in various roles, including director of minority student affairs and assistant director of alumni and constituent relations. He also worked at the University of Arkansas-Fayetteville as assistant vice chancellor for student affairs before joining Metropolitan Community College.

Seabrooks earned four degrees from UMKC: an interdisciplinary doctorate in urban leadership and policy studies and education administration; an education specialist degree; a master's degree in higher education administration; and a bachelor's degree in psychology. He is a vocal advocate for urban higher education.

“I am grateful for the opportunity to play a significant role in building upon MCC-Penn Valley’s legacy of empowering students to make their aspirations and dreams permanent realities,” said Seabrooks.

Seabrooks' apppointment is effective today, Tuesday, April 26, 2011.

Penn Valley kicks off roundtable discussions

Penn Valley Interim President Joe Seabrooks kicked off the first in a series of roundtable discussions on Thursday. The small group discussions are aimed at assembling students, faculty and staff to focus on outcomes that:

• Generate strategies for creating an innovative student-centered institution.

• Identify programs and strategies to dramatically improve student success.

• Develop strategies to maximize and leverage our rich diverse community.

The next roundtable discussions are Feb. 4 at 1:30 p.m., Feb. 17 at 2 p.m. and Feb, 18 at 1:30 p.m. All meetings will be held in CC 503.