Derr forms team to lead college

A half year after her arrival on the MHCC campus, President Debbie Derr has initiated significant changes to shape and reorganize the college’s administrative team.

Derr outlined the most important features in her Jan. 28 all-staff email regarding her restructuring plan.

“The greatest changes happened within instruction and student development,” said Derr in a recent interview with The Advocate. “Every instructional dean reports to the vice president. That wasn’t the case before. I think it’s very important that the vice president for instruction and student development supervise the instructional leaders at the institution.”

She has elevated the priority of economic and workforce development.

“It’s our future. It is a very important part of our mission,” Derr said. “Elevating and bringing those resources and programs together was an important piece for me.”

She also sought to blend other crucial functions.

“Looking at student development and organizing around systems was very important. If you look now, we sort of have enrollment, student success and retention, and student life,” she said. This provides an opportunity for synergy, she said.

Derr also has added people with whom she worked during her previous time at Mt. Hood, up until 2002.

Bill Becker returned in mid-January to work as a temporary fiscal adviser to Derr. He will keep the position until the college finds a full-time replacement for Bill Farver, who had served as interim vice president of administrative services.

Derr said Becker will help facilitate the filling of Farver’s vacated position.

“We had some work that needed to be done. Although Bill Farver served a wonderful purpose for us… he worked 20 hours a week,” she said. “Bill (Becker) is working 50-plus hours a week.

“For those people who have been here, they know (Becker) is a trusted, credible individual. He is an expert in what he does,” Derr said. “He understands higher education, he understands business process and he’s not bashful about asking difficult questions.

“We needed someone who could come in, serve in that capacity, be here full-time and prepare us for that next step. I chose him because I know him, I trust him, and he knows the college.”

Becker’s contract extends through June.

“We have a strong team, but that V.P. of admin. Services is a very, very crucial position for the college. And with the reorganization, we only really have two vice president positions.

Another familiar face has joined Derr’s team on Jan. 2. Al Sigala assumed the newly created position of executive director of MHCC Foundation.

While meeting with the Foundation board, Derr heard them the board emphasize they were ready for community outreach. She said they also desired increased alumni relations.

“If we want the foundation to really serve as a resource development arm of the college, you have to invest.” Derr said Sigala will be this investment.

“He’s the person, with me, that is reaching out into communities, to supporters, to business and industry and to see what kind of collaborations and partnerships we can develop — and friendships we can develop.

“He is incredibly well connected in this community. He is respected in this community and I trust him.”

Another notable change is the “revitalization of the teaching and learning center,” which Derr describes as “critical.”

This center provides faculty the opportunity to share strategies they have learned with the rest of their colleagues. It was reinvigorated during the 2014-15 contract negotiation session for full-time faculty.

“As we’re moving forward, the support to the faculty, in relationship to teaching methods and how we can engage students and all those types of things are just vital.”