BEND, OR -- The Central Oregon Community College Board of Directors will vote tonight whether to formally appoint interim President Dr. Shirley Metcalf to the permanent position. COCC officials have been in contract negotiations with Dr. Metcalf since announcing the decision just over a week ago. She tells KBND News she’s honored to be the school’s first female president. "Community college students tend to- the majority of them are women. So, I feel that this is really great for our college and our community that I can serve as a roll model for our students."
Dr. Metcalf has been with COCC for four years, and says she originally had no plans to take the permanent Presidential job. "I think we can now have more stability. For the last six months, I’ve been the interim, and prior to that, we knew Dr. Middleton would be retiring. So, I think that we can now set some of our goals and make sure that we set benchmarks and that we work to reach them."