Amarillo College

AC, Matney follow steps
that can lead to presidency

By Greg Rohloff
The Amarillo Independent

Acting Amarillo College President Dr. Paul Matney, the only candidate now under consideration as the next AC president, is playing the waiting game gracefully while the AC regents follow the maze set out in policy for filling the vacancy created by the death of AC President Dr. Steven Jones on Feb. 22.

Photo by Greg Rohloff The One and Only: Acting Amarillo College President Dr. Paul Matney, who has given 30 years of service to the community as a teacher and administrator, is AC's lone candidate to replace Dr. Steven Jones, who died Feb. 22 of cancer.

As acting president, he has supervised the college, meeting with regents, administrators, faculty and staff to ensure that the college meets obligations to its students and the community. As a presidential candidate, he is preparing for the series of interviews and forums that must be done before a decision is made to either name him president, or seek out additional candidates.

And while the former may be the obvious and the latter would be a shock, given his widespread support throughout the college and the city and his 30 years of service that includes teaching and administrative duties, protocols require procedures be followed.

Even though AC Regent Chair Michelle Fortunato said she expects that Matney will ultimately be named president, she is as cautious as Matney is, whose first answer to a question about expectations was sprinkled with expressions of gratitude for being selected as the lone candidate without the board first going through the process of seeking a candidate from outside the college.

"I would be surprised if he didn't get the job," Fortunato said. "But nothing is a done deal until we go through the process."

And while the procedure might seem like a roadblock to AC's making improvements in its campuses and course offerings, Fortunato said following the process has a benefit down the road — a measure of accountability once the president is named.

The next step in the process is a series of question-and-answer forums, including sessions open to the public and some private, on June 10. The details on the public sessions have yet to be worked out, she said.

But until then, Matney said, his priorities are dealing with the short-term needs of the college, with the most important being the 2007 bond plan to expand the campuses with new buildings and equipment that is aimed at increasing the number of nursing and other health-profession-related graduates.

AC has 550 enrolled nursing students, Matney said, and is aiming for 650.

To do that, the completion of the science lab building, begun with a dedication last August at the start of the fall semester, is a major priority, he said. It is scheduled for completion in the spring of 2010. On the West Campus, Jones Hall, which will be the home building for nursing and dental programs, is scheduled to open for the fall 2010 semester.

Equally important with the immediate priorities are advancement with the plan to improve the college's information technology system and the arrival of the new chief information officer, Lee Colaw, who was scheduled to start this week. The plan calls for improvements with the addition of more "smart" classrooms that are wired for computer technology and additional instructional technology as AC expands its offerings of online classes and professional development instruction.

Additionally, AC wants to focus on the joint effort program Pursuing Real Opportunities, Matney said, which combines the efforts of AC, the Amarillo Independent School District and the Amarillo Economic Development Corp., to develop certificate and associate degree programs that lead to a specific job.

While 61 percent of AC's students want to pursue a bachelor's degree — a traditional path for a community college student — Matney notes that the remainder want immediate entry to the workforce. Those students are the focus of the Pursuing Real Opportunities program, which has a Web site, www.pro2day.com as an informational outreach.

Matney's June 10 questions-and-answer forums will involve administrators, faculty and staff.

"I don't want it to be a monologue," Matney said. "I want it to be a dialogue."

He also will meet with regents for a discussion of a vision for the college from 2010 and beyond, he said.

The board is scheduled to make a decision at its June 23 meeting. If he is offered the position, a 21-day waiting period, required by state law, will be in force.

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Posted: June 4, 2009