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November 30, 2015
The four finalists vying to be the next chancellor at Fletcher Technical Community College spoke during a forum last Wednesday.
The finalists are Dr. Michael Elam, president of Roanoke-Chowan Community College in Ahoskie, N.C.; Dr. Derrick Manns, executive vice chancellor of Fletcher Technical Community College and South Central Louisiana Technical College; Dr. Kristine Strickland, executive dean of the West Bank Campus at Delgado Community College; and Earl Meador, J.D., director of South Central Louisiana Technical College and the interim chancellor for Fletcher since May 2014.
Finalists faced questions from Fletcher staff, faculty and students, as well as the community.
Elam has more than 33 years of experience in higher education. Before his current position at Roanoke-Chowan Community College, Elam served as the vice president for strategic initiatives for the Louisiana Community & Technical College System, which includes Fletcher. He said his experience is what makes him want to return to the LCTCS.
“One of the things that I learned was that I enjoyed working in this system,” Elam said. “So with that in mind, if you have a question as to why would a guy with this kind of background and experience be interested in coming here? Well that’s the reason.”
Elam also served as chancellor for a total of four community colleges, including two in Louisiana. He holds a bachelor’s degree in zoology and a master’s in education from Howard University.
He earned his doctorate in education from Nova Southeastern University in Higher Educational Leadership.
Manns is the executive vice chancellor for Fletcher Technical Community College and South Central Louisiana Technical College. In the past, he served as vice president of academics for LCTCS.
Before working for the LCTCS, Manns was assistant provost of academic affairs at Massachusetts Bay Community College in Wellesley, Mass. Before that, he served as the provost for the Wayne County Community College District in Detroit. There, Manns also served as interim campus president for their western campus and associate vice chancellor of instruction, curriculum and career programs.
“We want to make sure that our curriculum and what we’re preparing our students to go out into the world and do meets business and industry standards,” Manns said.
Manns received his bachelor’s degree in recreation administration and master’s in education from Bowling Green State University. He earned his doctorate in higher education administration from the University of Toledo.
Dr. Strickland is executive dean for the West Bank Campus at Delgado Community College, but worked at Fletcher years ago. She is in charge of the Office of Student Financial Assistance for all DCC campuses. Before that, Strickland was vice president of student services and student financial assistance with LCTCS. She previously served as dean of student affairs at Fletcher and vice president of enrollment management and student development at Our Lady of Holy Cross College in New Orleans.
“Some people asked me earlier, about, you know, ‘you were here at Fletcher and you left. Why do you want to come back?’” she said. “And what I shared with that group is that having had the different educational experiences that I’ve had, you begin to learn things about institutions that you really love and that you really like. There is a culture here at Fletcher … that is very unique. After leaving the institution, I reflected back on that experience that I had while I was here, I realized that there are so many elements of that that I really loved and that I have missed actually at other institutions.”
Strickland earned both a bachelor’s degree in education and a master’s in college student personnel services from Ohio University. She earned her doctorate in leadership for higher education and a post-master’s certificate in enrollment management from Capella University. She has also earned a certification in enrollment management from Noel-Levitz and is an alumna of the Harvard University Institute of Higher Education Management.
Meador is the interim chancellor for Fletcher and the director of SCLTC. In his career at SCLTC, he has been an instructor in the marine department, assistant dean of the Young Memorial Campus in Morgan City, and campus dean of the Lafourche campus in Thibodaux.
Meador earned his bachelor’s degree in business management from LeTourneau University. He earned his juris doctorate from Loyola University School of Law in New Orleans. Meador is also a 2013 graduate of the Executive Leadership Institute held by the League for Innovation in the Community College.
“This college is poised to grow,” he said. “It’s got a lot of good things happening.” •
