SPCC's new president poses for a photo with his wife. (Contributed photo)
SPCC hires new president
by Tiffany Jothen, The Enquirer Journal, March 30, 2011
He was the last to interview but came out on top.
Stan Sidor is South Piedmont Community College’s new president, pending state approval. The SPCC Board of Trustees announced the appointment Tuesday.
“I’m really excited about the college,” Sidor said. “It has a tremendous amount of potential.”
It’s obvious that faculty and staff care about the students, he said, and he looks forward to working at a college representing such diversity, from the manufacturing community to the agricultural side.
Sidor grew up on a small farm in Michigan and enjoys SPCC as a smaller institution.
“He has a lot of insight and energy,” Tom Crooke said.
Crooke serves on the board of trustees and chaired the search committee. The board interviewed six finalists, but Sidor tipped the scale with his breadth of experience, from technology to academia, Crooke said. Trustees took note of his talent for getting people fired up and involved in the next big project. Communication with faculty and staff is key, Crooke said.
Trustees also gravitated toward his friendly personality and management style.
“He is a collaborator. He’s an information gatherer and a consensus builder,” board of trustees chairman Harvey Leavitt said.
President John McKay retires this summer. Sidor and his wife, Michele, will leave Florida so Sidor can take over as head of SPCC on July 1.
Sidor has served as provost of the Advanced Technology Center Campus and associate vice president for the College of Engineering Technology and Occupational Programs at Daytona State College since 2004. He served as executive director and dean of the Advanced Technology College from 2001 to 2005.
Two of SPCC’s strongest points are advanced technology and workforce development, McKay said.
Sidor has experience in both.
“I think he’ll fit in very well,” McKay said.
SPCC serves about 8,500 students on two campuses. As the economy rebounds, the school will have new demands to meet, McKay said.
His advice to Sidor: “Listen a lot. … Get out and meet people in the community and find out what their needs are.”
With ever-expanding enrollment, the school could also use larger facilities, McKay said.
Yet, as trustees know, money can be hard to find these days – a challenge Sidor soon faces.
“We feel like he’s up to that challenge,” Crooke said. Sidor has been successful in raising money for educational institutions in the past, he said, and “we need a good money-raiser.”
Sidor doesn’t have all the answers yet, but will begin his job by learning what direction the college wants to move in. He does see the college playing an important role in Union and Anson counties.
SPCC adds value to the region by “creating a higher-skilled workforce,” he said, which translates to stronger local businesses and companies relocating to the area.
The State Board of Community Colleges meets April 15. That’s the first opportunity the board will have to approve or deny Sidor as president.
Copyright 2011 The Enquirer Journal. All rights reserved.
