Kudos
Linda C. Young, president of Wallace Community College-Dothan in Alabama, is a Yellowhammer News 2022 Women of Impact honoree. The annual award recognizes the personal and professional accomplishments of Alabama women leaders, advisers and mentors whose contributions have moved the needle across business, government and non-profit sectors, empowering others through their work.
CEO retirement
Michael Cartney, who has served as president of Lake Area Technical College (South Dakota) since 2014, has announced that he plans to retire from the college effective December 31.
Cartney has served at Lake Area Tech for more than 15 years, first as its vice president. He came to the college in 2007 after a 30-year career in the military.
Among his achievements at Lake Area Tech is when the college was named the 2017 winner of the Aspen Prize for Community College Excellence. Under his leadership, the college has seen an increase in enrollment of nearly 30% in unduplicated headcount since 2014. The college also has a 74% graduation/transfer rate, among highest in the nation (compared to 39% nationally). Five years after graduating, Lake Area Tech students earn 27% more than all workers in the region.
Cartney is noted for his advocacy for student success, workforce development and industry partnerships. He is credited with implementing hands-on learning models such as learn-and-earn programs and apprenticeships, fostering articulation agreements with South Dakota universities, and extending outreach education in underserved communities. Cartney was the architect behind the Build Dakota–Stretch the Million full-ride scholarships.
Cartney’s efforts at the state level, especially for his work with technical education, resulted in him being named to the South Dakota Hall of Fame in 2020. His expertise is also recognized at the national level, where in 2017 he testified before the Senate’s Commerce Committee on addressing the skilled workforce gap.
Obituary
Bob Burns, the founding president of NorthWest Arkansas Community College (NWACC), died on Monday at age 82. He served at the helm from 1990 to 2002, when he retired. He later served as chair of the state Higher Education Coordinating Board.
Dick Trammel, a founding college board member, told the NorthWest Arkansas Democrat-Gazette that Burns was crucial for the college from the beginning.
“Dr. Burns was the pillar that supported NWACC until we didn’t need to worry about it anymore,” he told the newspaper.
Over Burn’s tenure as president, enrollment grew from 1,232 students to 4,073. The college initially rented facilities in two counties until it purchased land in 1995 and constructed its first permanent building, known as the Central Education Facility and later named Burns Hall.
Previously, Burns was president of East Arkansas Community College and retired from that position. Seven years later, he was named president of NWACC. Burns also served in administrative positions at Labette Community College in Kansas and Garland County Community College in Arkansas, which later merged with another college to become National Park College.
Appointments
Jeff Boudouris is the new strategic finance officer at the Ohio Association of Community Colleges. He comes from Sinclair Community College where he spent 33 years, most recently as senior vice president and chief financial officer.
Kay Faulconer Boger is the chancellor’s liaison for community engagement at the San Diego Community College District. The appointment is her latest role with the district, where she previously was acting president, acting vice president of instruction and director of industry partnerships at the College of Continuing Education.
