BEND, OR -- Central Oregon Community College's Board of Directors voted Friday to begin negotiations to appoint Dr. Shirley Metcalf as the school's fifth president. Dr. Metcalf has served as interim president since Dr. James Middleton retired in September 2014.
KBND News spoke with Dr. Metcalf shortly after the announcement. "We’ve been coming to Bend for 32 years. My husband and I are originally from Hawaii, and lived in Washington for a time, but we would always come to Bend to ski. So, it’s a dream come true that I’m now able to lead my college and work with my colleagues and continuing to move our college forward."
Dr. Metcalf has been with COCC for four years. She says she didn’t apply for the job and initially was only interested in the interim post. But she says the job is now a dream come true.
"I’m looking forward to continuing to work with the faculty and staff and students as we move forward," Metcalf says. "It’s a good time for us to have a leader who will be able to understand what the college is already doing, so I’m very excited about this opportunity."
She adds, "I feel that it’s a vote of confidence from both the board and the college. They interviewed many of the faculty and staff on campus and asked what if we went this route. I’ve heard I have a lot of support from both the faculty and staff."
Earlier this week, the board's top choice for the position withdrew from consideration after his father-in-law suddenly passed away. Dr. Tony Miksa and his wife chose to stay close to her mother in Illinois. Nearly a year ago, COCC was forced to withdraw an offer to Dr. Patrick Lanning after the Board of Directors discovered he had been accused of assaulting a coworker.
