FVCC president in line to lead U.S. board

 Flathead Valley Community College President Jane Karas will become chairwoman-elect of the American Association of Community Colleges’ board of directors on July 1.

Karas takes over as chairwoman on July 1, 2013.

Karas’ election marks the first time Montana has had a leadership position on the association’s board. She hopes to provide a voice for rural community colleges and the unique issues faced by their students.

 “I’m excited for the college to receive more visibility at the national level,” said Karas. “This is also a great opportunity to be engaged at the forefront of community colleges as they continue to move into the future to better serve students.”

Over the next two years, Karas plans to work with the national organization’s leadership to ensure community colleges meet the needs of students across the nation, including Montana.

“We will be looking at how we can continue to provide students new opportunities and access to affordable, high-quality education and enable them to achieve their completion goals,” she said.

The organization’s President and CEO Walter Bumphus said Karas falls in line with the organization’s long tradition of outstanding leaders selected to lead the board.

“Jane’s experience as an exceptional leader of a great community college, her experience serving as chairperson of a very important AACC committee and her most recent experience representing AACC with a delegation to China certainly positions her extremely well to serve as chair of the board in 2013,” Bumphus said.

Karas was elected to the national board to serve from 2010 to 2013 and currently sits on its Executive Committee and heads the Committee of Program Initiatives and Workforce Training. She also serves as board liaison for Community Colleges for International Development.

Some of Karas’ previous leadership roles have included president of Mountain States Association of Community Colleges and vice chairwoman of the National Campus Compact Board.

Karas became the 11th president of FVCC in 2001 after serving as vice president and dean of instruction and student services at the college. She came to the community college after directing work-force development for Montana’s Office of the Commissioner of Higher Education.

 Founded in 1920, the community college association has become the leading proponent and the national voice for community colleges from headquarters in the National Center for Higher Education in Washington, D.C. The organization works closely with directors of state offices to inform and affect state policy.

The association represents nearly 1,200 two-year, associate degree-granting institutions and more than 13 million students.