In his eighth year as president and his 33rd year at Monroe Community College, R. Thomas Flynn today announced his plan to retire in June 2008. He will retire with the distinction of being the college’s longest-serving officer.
“The ideal time to retire is when you have met your personal objectives and your College is in a strong position, both financially and programmatically,” Flynn said. “MCC has an exceptionally talented and innovative faculty, a cadre of administrators who are regional and national leaders in their fields, and staff who are dedicated to students. With the College in such great hands and after nearly 45 years as a college administrator and faculty member, I am ready to begin a new journey which undoubtedly will include more quality time with my family; writing, utilizing all the material I have collected over more than four decades; and teaching at the graduate school level. I definitely look forward to spending more time on a trout stream and playing more golf.”
“Monroe Community College has been fortunate to have President Flynn’s leadership for more than 30 years; the Board thanks him for his extraordinary service and wishes him good health and happiness in his retirement,” said Lori Van Dusen, chair of MCC’s Board of Trustees. “While we will certainly miss his visionary leadership, this is a good time to make a change. The College is financially strong, has a number of talented leaders to build upon Tom’s accomplishments, and is well-known nationally, all of which will help us attract well-qualified presidential candidates.”
Under Flynn’s leadership, the College has become an increasingly vital economic player in the community, expanding its programs and services to meet community needs and providing exceptional learning opportunities for a diverse array of students. Building community partnerships and enriching students’ learning have been hallmarks of Flynn’s tenure.
RESPONDING TO COMMUNITY NEEDS
Flynn has led the College through extraordinary enrollment growth. Since joining the College as vice president for student services in 1974, fall credit enrollment has risen 85 percent. Since becoming president in 1999, annual credit and non-credit enrollment has increased 21 percent to 35,116. More than 25 percent of all recent high school graduates in Monroe County choose MCC.
More than one dozen associate degree programs have been added during Flynn’s presidency. The College has added three associate degree programs in teacher education, in response to the growing need for teachers, particularly teachers of color and teachers in math and science. An associate’s degree in massage therapy was added in 2001, reflecting the growing number of Americans who are turning to professional massage therapists for stress reduction and relaxation, improved circulation, and injury avoidance and recovery. Most recently, MCC added a certificate program in optical fabrication to address the employment demands in this high-tech field.
Flynn has led MCC into online teaching and learning, a move that has made a college education accessible to more people. MCC now offers two degree programs completely online (liberal arts and business administration) and has developed hybrid courses – a mix of traditional classroom instruction with online learning. This year, Flynn established an Office of Online Learning to strategically direct efforts in preparing professors for online teaching, in facilitating student success, and in managing the program. In the last year, more than 4,600 students have enrolled in online courses at MCC.
MCC formalized its commitment to community service in 2003 with the establishment of its Service Learning program, which combines civic engagement with academic coursework in a way that benefits both the student and the community. Nearly three dozen agencies benefit from students’ service each year; more than 1,200 students participate.
Under Flynn’s leadership, MCC responded to the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks by launching its Homeland Security Management Institute (HSMI). MCC’s HSMI has hosted a number of seminars, conferences and training programs to help businesses, industries, government entities and citizens become better prepared in the event of an emergency. Flynn has been recognized nationally for his work in homeland security education and training, with invitations to speak, write and serve on homeland security-related boards.
OPPORTUNITIES FOR STUDENTS
“When I interviewed for the vice president’s position in 1974, I told the MCC Board of Trustees that they shouldn’t hire me if they didn’t believe, as I did, that MCC students deserve the same opportunities as students at four-year colleges and universities,” said Flynn. “Realizing that vision has guided our work over the last 30 years.”
Indeed, Flynn started the dual admission or “2+2” movement whereby community college students who meet expressed standards are guaranteed transfer to baccalaureate colleges and universities to complete their bachelor’s degrees. MCC now has 213 dual admission programs with 23 colleges and universities. MCC recently signed its first dual admission agreement with a historically black college, Morgan State University. In another type of transfer partnership, Cornell University and Amherst College recently asked MCC to work with them to encourage students to transfer to those institutions; the result has been significantly increased numbers of transfer students to those two highly selective baccalaureate institutions.
Under Flynn’s leadership, a number of student-centered facilities have been added: the Child Care Center in 1991, now serving about 100 children of students, employees and community members; the R. Thomas Flynn Campus Center, combining a dynamic student union with meeting facilities; the College’s first residence halls, as of this fall housing more than 750 students; athletic fields; and thousands of square feet of classroom, laboratory and other academic spaces.
Flynn’s leadership and support of the athletic program have helped to bring home 125 regional and national titles, up from 12 when he joined the college in 1974. Last year, MCC student-athletes earned four national titles and the College was named the top community college athletic program in the country. MCC’s national reputation for athletic and academic excellence helps MCC student-athletes obtain scholarships and gain entry to successful athletic programs at baccalaureate colleges and universities.
As president and as vice president for student and administrative services, Flynn has kept tuition affordable for students. At $2,700, MCC’s tuition rate is the lowest among SUNY community colleges (a position it shares with two other community colleges).
VALUING PARTNERSHIPS
Partnering with businesses, industries and community organizations has been a fundamental Flynn strategy in fulfilling the College’s mission. He has successfully brought key players to the table to help the College meet community needs.
To counter a shortage of nurses and radiologic technicians, Flynn forged partnerships with health care providers and insurers to expand enrollment in its nursing and radiologic technology programs. With an investment of $1,624,000 over five years, the College has been able to enroll and graduate 150 more nurses and 60 more radiologic technicians each year. Health care programs are some of the most expensive to operate but are essential to the health of our community.
Flynn has played an active role in securing philanthropic support for the College. MCC’s philanthropic partner, the MCC Foundation has provided the College with more than $5 million for scholarships, programs and facilities during Flynn’s presidency, making MCC’s development program one of the most successful among community colleges nationwide. MCC received its largest private gift ever, $1.75 million, in December 2006 from the Xerox Foundation. In announcing the gift, Xerox Chairman and CEO Anne Mulcahy said, “Monroe Community College is a treasure to this community. It’s one of the crown jewels of Monroe County and New York, and under the extraordinary leadership of Tom Flynn, MCC has become nationally recognized in the community college movement… we consider this grant not a gift, not a donation, but an investment in our collective future.”
Flynn’s leadership has advanced the College’s efforts to garner federal funding for critical college initiatives. Since becoming president, MCC has received more than $15 million in federal funding from a variety of sources including the National Science Foundation and the National Institutes of Health. Additionally, MCC is an active partner in the Finger Lakes WIRED initiative, which brought $15 million to the area to develop a regional, integrated approach to workforce, economic development and education initiatives.
MCC has been a significant partner in preparing Greater Rochester’s public safety professionals since 1974, the year Flynn arrived at MCC. With the support of municipal police chiefs, MCC began training police officers and later moved into firefighting, paramedic and emergency medical training. Today, in partnership with Monroe County and the City of Rochester, MCC trains all local public safety professionals and many more from the region and beyond at the state-of-the-art Public Safety Training Facility on Scottsville Road.
FUTURE
Flynn’s mark on MCC and the community will be evident for years to come in some significant projects that are underway – most notably MCC’s new downtown campus which is part of Renaissance Square. “Renaissance Square is an important economic development project for our community and the College’s new downtown campus will significantly improve the teaching and learning environment at the Damon City Campus,” Flynn said. “The project is in very competent hands at MCC and at Monroe County. Now is a good time for me to step aside and let the next president see this project to its completion.”
Other significant projects started by Flynn include the PAC Center, a new fitness and recreation center, and the Wolk Center for Excellence in Nursing, both of which will be near completion when Flynn retires in 2008. This fall Flynn will see the launch of Gateway to College, a $4.3 million program to help more 350 high school dropouts earn high school degrees and begin college careers.
FINDING A SUCCESSOR
The search for a successor is underway, according to Board Chair Van Dusen. An executive search firm will be retained in the coming weeks and the Board of Trustees plans to involve faculty, staff, students, alumni and the community in the search process.
Cynthia Cooper
College and Community Relations
05/31/2007 |