College president honored with regional award

Flathead Valley Community College President Jane Karas has been recognized as one of the leading chief executive officers in the West for her work at the college.

The Association of Community College Trustees selected Karas to receive the 2016 Western Regional Chief Executive Officer Award, which recognizes the most distinguished college presidents from each of association’s five regions.

The association’s Western Region includes more than 200 two-year colleges in Colorado, Kansas, Montana, Nebraska, New Mexico, North Dakota, Oklahoma, South Dakota, Texas, Wyoming, Alberta, Manitoba, Northwest Territories and Saskatchewan.

This is the second time Karas has been honored with this award during her 15 years as FVCC president.

Karas was selected for the award based on her initiation of innovative programs at FVCC, her work to maximize opportunities for FVCC students to be successful and her advocacy and service on behalf of two-year colleges in Montana and across the nation.

In the application nominating Karas for the award, FVCC Board of Trustees Chairwoman Shannon Lund said that next year, FVCC will look back on five decades of growth that began in 1967 in abandoned buildings in a decaying urban core of the city of Kalispell.

“It is telling that FVCC’s most dynamic growth and student success have taken place during the administration of Dr. Karas,” Lund said. “Our campus has more than doubled in size during her tenure, and this summer we will break ground for our first student housing.”

ACCT is a nonprofit educational organization of governing boards, representing more than 6,500 elected and appointed trustees who govern more than 1,200 community, technical and junior colleges.

Karas will accept the award from the association during the 47th Annual ACCT Leadership Congress in New Orleans in October.

Her name has been added to the list of presidents who will contend for one of the five national-level recognition awards from the association.

The association will announce the national awards at the annual Awards Gala in October in conjunction with the 47th Annual ACCT Leadership Congress in New Orleans.

Reporter Katheryn Houghton may be reached at 758-4436 or by email at khoughton@dailyinterlake.com.