By Sana Cole
The Scene staff
You can take the man out of the community college, but you can’t take the community college out of the man.
After four years of retirement, Dennis Michaelis will join St. Louis Community College as interim chancellor Oct. 28.
“I’m looking forward to the challenge,” he said while attending a United Way event on the Forest Park campus. “I’m very optimistic that I can make a contribution.”
Michaelis spent 38 years at community colleges, starting as an English instructor and retiring as president of McLennan Community College in Waco, Texas.
The 69-year-old cycling enthusiast will replace Chancellor Myrtle E.B. Dorsey, who took personal leave last month after the college’s Board of Trustees voted not to renew her contract.
Board member Hattie Jackson, who formerly worked 39 years at Forest Park, said Michaelis stood out above the rest.
“This Board of Trustees has a lot of integrity,” she said. “We looked at every comment and what every group wrote (about the candidates). We particularly looked at what students had to say.
“We wanted someone who would be engaging and really hear what the students have to say. I think (Michaelis) is a listener. I don’t think he’s pretending.”
The board introduced Michaelis and two other candidates to students, faculty and staff on the college’s four campuses earlier this month through a round of interviews and “meet-and-greet” sessions.
Nursing major Myeisha Jones, 35, attended Forest Park’s session. She described Michaelis as “genuine.” She’s happy with the board’s decision.
“When the candidates gave their brief descriptions, I was drawn to Dennis,” Jones said. “The first guy seemed rushed, and the second candidate didn’t give good eye contact. Dennis seemed excited and anxious about being there.”
Jones was speaking of candidates Portia Sheilds, former interim president of Tennessee State University, and Lawrence W. Weill, retired president of Gordon College in Georgia.
Jones was even more impressed with Michaelis during informal, one-on-one discussions between students and candidates. She believed he was the most “personable.”
“He asked us our names and shook our hands,” Jones said. “He seemed very concerned. He was very truthful. He wanted to know our concerns. I don’t know, he just actually felt right.”
Forest Park President Cindy Hess praised Michaelis’ appointment.
“We’re excited to have Dr. Michaelis to continue to lead us forward in serving our students well and making sure we’re providing an effective learning environment and an effective working environment for staff,” she said. “He has a good history of effective leadership that I think will help us reach our goals.”
Michaelis’ contract with St. Louis Community College runs through June 2015. Between now and then, the board will seek a permanent chancellor.
“The students are our primary focus,” Jackson said. “They are the breadth (and) depth of the college. We need someone who would be able to address the needs of students. We expect the board to do a search for a permanent chancellor because our students deserve it.”
Michaelis and his wife, Jan, live in Waco, Texas, where they plan to keep their home. He has two grown sons and six grandchildren.
Michaelis has rented an apartment in downtown St. Louis. Jan, who works as a part-time dental hygienist, personal trainer and nutrition counselor, will spend time in both cities.
“I am thrilled to be moving here,” said Jan, 59. “I have already been welcomed by St. Louis Community College and the St. Louis community. The last 48 hours have been wonderful.”
Michaelis grew up in Hill City, Kan. He’s a first-generation college student who earned a bachelor’s degree in education from Kansas State University.
Michaelis went on to work four years as an English teacher in junior high and high school before taking a job as an English instructor at Lake Region Community College in North Dakota in 1971.
He pointed out that community colleges were a new invention in the United States at the time. No other country had them. Michaelis liked the idea and thought Lake Region would be a cool place to work.
“The makeup of community colleges has always been intriguing to me,” he said. “You have people from all walks of life (and all ages). “Michaeils earned a master’s degree in English from Fort Hays State University in Kansas and started working in community college administration three years later. He went on to earn a doctorate in education from Kansas State.
Michaelis served as president of Paris Junior College in Texas and later Lake Region before spending 21 years as president of McLennan, where he retired in 2009.
As St. Louis Community College chancellor, Michaelis has both short- and long-term goals for improvements.
“My immediate plans are to get acquainted with all the different campuses, centers and the people who are a part of them,” he said. “The way that will happen is one person at a time.”
One of the challenges facing Michaelis is the declining enrollment at the college.
Forest Park has seen a 15-percent drop in the past year, going from 7,994 students in the fall of 2012 to 6,815 this semester. This continues a downward trend since the fall of 2011, when 8,823 students were enrolled.
“One of the real priorities for districts really needs to be a focus on enrollment,” Michaelis said. “We need to make sure we’re getting the message out about opportunities we offer here and making students feel welcome.”
Michaelis also wants to see the college do a better job of promoting itself and staying current in the “digital world.”
“I don’t see the (St. Louis Community College) message out there,” he said. “I drive around and I see UMSL, but I don’t see STLCC.”
When not working, Michaelis enjoys spending time with his family. He and Jan have been married for three years. He was married to his first wife, Beverly, for 44 years. She died of complications from rheumatoid arthritis.
One of Michaelis’ sons followed in his father’s footsteps. He holds a doctorate in education and works at a community college.
Michaelis and his wife also enjoy bike riding. They’ve ridden the Katy Trial across Missouri.
“I am one of the most fortunate people walking this earth,” Michaelis said. “I’ve had a great life.”
Dorsey’s tenure had its ups and downs. Last spring, the college faced an explosive controversy when a female student was assaulted on the Meramec campus. Police arrested the male suspect, but quickly released him. Officials took more serious action after St. Louis news media covered the case.
Michaelis hopes the college can put the past behind it and move forward with students, faculty and staff working as a team.
“Looking back isn’t going to get us forward,” he said. “The best we can do is get along. Let’s listen to each other.
“There was a lot of turmoil before I came. I don’t know anything about that. The only thing I can do is pick up and move forward.”