Dr. Kevin Pollock Named Next President Of Montgomery County Community College

PHOTO: Dr. Kevin Pollock has been selected as Montgomery County Community College’s fifth president. He will begin his tenure on April 1, 2016.

Blue Bell, PA —After an extensive, eight-month national search, Montgomery County Community College’s (MCCC) Board of Trustees is pleased to announce that Dr. Kevin Pollock has been selected to serve as the institution’s fifth president. He will begin his tenure at MCCC on April 1, 2016.

Pollock, currently of Port Huron, Mich., has served as president of St. Clair County Community College (SC4) since April 2009. He has more than 30 years of education experience in diverse roles that include college administration, strategic planning, leadership and teaching.

“Dr. Pollock’s breadth of experience in higher education will be a tremendous asset to Montgomery County Community College as we build on our outstanding reputation as a premiere community college in the nation,” said Board of Trustees Chairman Michael J. D’Aniello.

That reputation was built, in large part, by the leadership of Dr. Karen A. Stout, who assumed the role of president and CEO of Achieving the Dream, Inc. on July 1, 2015 after serving as MCCC president for more than 14 years.

“It is an honor to have been selected as the next president at Montgomery County Community College.  It is my sincere hope that we can work together to build upon the foundation set by the faculty, staff, and Dr. Stout and advance the college even more so in the future to the benefit of the students and the community,” said Pollock.

During Pollock’s seven-year tenure as president at SC4, the institution experienced record enrollment, embarked on new student success initiatives, increased its grant funding, became a leader in green initiatives, and strengthened its connections with the community. The institution also adopted a new vision, mission and strategic plan that is tied to national best practices and is based on data.

In addition to his presidential responsibilities, Pollock is a frequent national speaker on topics that include student success, leadership, strategic planning and college transformation, and he has authored 18 book chapters and articles. Pollock holds a Ph.D. in Higher, Adult and Lifelong Education from Michigan State University and a Master of Arts in Education and Bachelor of Science in Education from Central Michigan University.

Dr. Pollock will begin his tenure at MCCC on April 1, 2016. Dr. James J. Linksz will continue to serve in the capacity of interim president until Dr. Pollock begins his tenure.

Montgomery County Community College Celebrates The Legacy Of Dr. Karen A. Stout‏

Honorary Degree: Board of Trustees Chairman Michael D’Aniello presents Dr. Karen A. Stout with an honorary associate’s degree in letters during Montgomery County Community College’s 48th Commencement ceremony on May 21, 2015. Photo by John Welsh

Blue Bell/Pottstown , Pa – As Dr. Karen Stout officially took the helm as President and CEO of Achieving the Dream, Inc. on July 1, Montgomery County Community College (MCCC) celebrates her legacy as the institution’s fourth president. That legacy is vast, and her impact, on both the institution and on individuals in the community, will reach far into the future.

The core tenant of Dr. Stout’s presidency has been her steadfast commitment to improving student access, success and completion. Under her leadership, Montgomery is recognized nationally as an Achieving the Dream Leader College for many of its student success efforts. Examples include a Minority Student Mentoring Initiative, financial literacy education, reimagined student entry and advising processes, educational planning tools, peer mentoring, and a new approach to developmental education, to name only a few.

To honor her contributions and commitment to community college students, 15 former student leaders spanning Dr. Stout’s 14-year tenure returned to Montgomery’s Central Campus in May to unveil a very special tribute: the naming of the Karen A. Stout Student Success Center. A week later, the Board of Trustees presented Dr. Stout with an honorary associate’s degree in letters during the 2015 commencement ceremony, making her an official alumna of the College. The Board also bestowed on her the title of President Emerita, effective July 1.

In addition to renaming the Student Success Center, one of the Foundation’s hallmark events—the Leading Women Symposium and Golf Experience—will also bear Dr. Stout’s name in honor of her commitment to philanthropy. The annual Karen A. Stout Leading Women Symposium and Golf Experience, held each spring, raises funds for women’s scholarships and programming while facilitating valuable networking opportunities for its participants.

SSC: Current and former Montgomery County Community College student leaders help unveil architect renderings for the naming of Karen A. Stout Student Success Center at the Central Campus during a celebration of Dr. Stout’s presidency on May 15, 2015. Photo by Stuart Watson

Dr. Stout also leaves behind a personal philanthropic legacy for future MCCC students through two contributions to the Foundation’s comprehensive “Futures Rising” campaign, which raised $10.5 million in two years. She has established a Phi Theta Kappa Challenge Fund, which helps qualifying, Pell-eligible students pay half of the honor society membership fee, and an Endowed Scholarship Fund awarded annually to a student pursing a career in Communication.

On July 1, both Dr. Stout and Montgomery County Community College embarked on next chapter of their journeys. At the helm of Achieving the Dream, Dr. Stout has the opportunity to co-design the next generation of student success reform work alongside community college leaders from across the country. Meanwhile, Montgomery is positioned to continue growing the many seeds Dr. Stout planted during her tenure.

Hillary Clinton Takes The Stage, And The Speculation Heats Up

Official portrait of Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

After a temporary tour as a lieutenant in President Obama’s army, Hillary Rodham Clinton rejoined the Clinton family business on Thursday and went right to work on one of its main objectives: advancing the Clinton brand.

Mrs. Clinton appeared alongside her husband, Bill Clinton, in a crowded ballroom here and left little doubt that she planned to reclaim the political stage she exited more than four years ago to become the nation’s top diplomat.

At the annual gathering of the foundation established by her husband, Mrs. Clinton delivered a speech that plunged her back into the heart of the conversation about the country’s future, highlighting the need for creating jobs for young people and expanding early childhood development programs.

“In too many places in our own country, community institutions are crumbling,” she said, expressing concern about “disconnected young men in our society.”

Read more:  http://www.nytimes.com/2013/06/14/us/politics/hillary-clinton-steps-onto-a-stage-again.html?hp&_r=0

President Obama’s Dragnet

With his family by his side, Barack Obama is sworn in as the 44th president of the United States by Chief Justice of the United States John G. Roberts, Jr. in Washington, D.C., Jan. 20, 2009. More than 5,000 men and women in uniform are providing military ceremonial support to the presidential inauguration, a tradition dating back to George Washington’s 1789 inauguration. VIRIN: 090120-F-3961R-919 (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Within hours of the disclosure that federal authorities routinely collect data on phone calls Americans make, regardless of whether they have any bearing on a counterterrorism investigation, the Obama administration issued the same platitude it has offered every time President Obama has been caught overreaching in the use of his powers: Terrorists are a real menace and you should just trust us to deal with them because we have internal mechanisms (that we are not going to tell you about) to make sure we do not violate your rights.

Those reassurances have never been persuasive — whether on secret warrants to scoop up a news agency’s phone records or secret orders to kill an American suspected of terrorism — especially coming from a president who once promised transparency and accountability.

The administration has now lost all credibility on this issue. Mr. Obama is proving the truism that the executive branch will use any power it is given and very likely abuse it. That is one reason we have long argued that the Patriot Act, enacted in the heat of fear after the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks by members of Congress who mostly had not even read it, was reckless in its assignment of unnecessary and overbroad surveillance powers.

Based on an article in The Guardian published Wednesday night, we now know that the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the National Security Agency used the Patriot Act to obtain a secret warrant to compel Verizon’s business services division to turn over data on every single call that went through its system. We know that this particular order was a routine extension of surveillance that has been going on for years, and it seems very likely that it extends beyond Verizon’s business division. There is every reason to believe the federal government has been collecting every bit of information about every American’s phone calls except the words actually exchanged in those calls.

Read more:  http://www.nytimes.com/2013/06/07/opinion/president-obamas-dragnet.html?hp&_r=0

Where Obama Did Better — And Where He Did Worse

Editor’s note:  Very interesting election analysis regardless of which side you are on.  Shows the differences between McCain and Romney’s efforts in their respective run for President again Obama.

President Obama carried fewer states than he did four years ago.  He won a second term by dominating the nation’s large urban areas — although mostly by smaller margins compared to his 2008 vote totals.

To view interactive maps for each state, by county, for 2008 and 2012 click here:  http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-srv/special/politics/obama-better-or-worse/?hpid=z3

Obama’s Nobel Peace Prize ????

So everbody is scratching their heads over this one.  I have read a good deal of  commentary thus far but like this article in the New York Post best. 

File this under things that make you go hmmmmmm….what where these people thinking!!!!  It appears to be the same group that voted Norway is swell and better than the USA!  I say go chew some whale blubber and shut it!

http://www.nypost.com/p/news/politics/committee_felt_bad_for_obama_vW71oELHFdcQEw20t5p32I