Dear FRCC community, supporters and friends,
After almost 29 years, I will be retiring from FRCC in nine months at the end of June 2022. When I started as an instructor in 1993, I never expected to have such a long career at Front Range.
I could not have asked for a more fulfilling career. I feel very lucky and blessed to have found a place with so many passionate, smart people dedicated to making a difference in students’ lives.
This is a difficult announcement for me. I still have a great deal of passion for the work of the college and am proud of the work we do. As I have reflected on the next steps for me and for the college, it seems an appropriate time for a new leader to start as the college comes out of the pandemic next year.
Many Opportunities
I came to FRCC in 1993 as a part-time instructor teaching psychology, and then a few years later I got hired as the first full-time faculty member for the original Longmont campus. I’ve been both a dean and a vice president—so I’ve seen firsthand all the hard work that goes into providing the phenomenal education that FRCC gives our students.
I’ve been the president at FRCC since 2009, and I still have many more months of work ahead. I look forward to continuing to help guide the college and engage with you and our students during that time.
A New President Next Year
The Colorado Community College System (CCCS) will begin the search process very soon. Successful presidential searches take a while—but CCCS will announce details about the search—including how the community can participate—in the coming weeks.
The system will provide more details, but having served on a search recently for another CCCS college, I know that the chancellor and the system staff are committed to an inclusive process. I also know that CCCS has attracted some very talented candidates—and has hired several excellent new presidents—in its recent searches. I am confident the same will be true at FRCC.
My Sincere Appreciation
I’ll end with a heartfelt thank you to everyone who has helped make Front Range such a great college—one that lifts up our students and helps them succeed.
Thank you, everyone, all for all you every day to do support students.
Sincerely,
Andy
Editor’s Note
This missive wouldn’t be complete without mentioning just a few of Andy’s myriad accomplishments from his time as FRCC president. He’s not likely to toot his own horn, so we’ll do it for him here.
Under his leadership, the school has come to be recognized as one of the top community colleges in the country for how successful our students are when they transfer to four-year universities. We’re also known as one of the top colleges in the US for success in online learning.
Andy also has been instrumental in promoting partnerships with business and industry, including more than a dozen new degree or certificate programs. He led efforts that brought about the opening of FRCC’s state-of-the-art Center for Integrated Manufacturing in Longmont and construction of the college’s new Health Care Careers Center in Fort Collins.
Other notable accomplishments under Andy’s leadership include:
- Developing a collegewide philosophy of inclusion that included creating an Equity, Diversity and Inclusion Council (EIDC) and hiring the college’s first Executive Director of Equity and Inclusion.
- Creating a variety of new supports for teaching excellence, such as:
- instructional coach positions designed to support instructors and faculty,
- collegewide student learning outcomes, and
- a teaching development program for part-time instructors that has trained more than 350 instructors.
- Major renovations at each campus to provide a better learning environment for students.
A Grateful Farewell
Employees and students at all of FRCC’s locations join us in wishing Andy the very best in his future endeavors. We will truly miss working with him. It has been an honor to work together under his steady and inspiring leadership.
CCCS Chancellor Joe Garcia may have said it best:
Andy has been an incredible asset to the college, to its students, and to the community. We are grateful for all he has done—in particular for his devotion to improving the learning environment for students through student services, capital improvements, and new academic programs.
He will be tremendously missed.
