By Chris Cunningham
The Scene staff
St. Louis Community College’s new chancellor comes from an Indiana community college system with 32 campuses and nearly 200,000 students.
Jeff Pittman, 58, of Avon, Ind., was one of 31 applicants and four finalists considered by the STLCC Board of Trustees.
Pittman is vice president of college corporate services and online education at Ivy Tech Community College of Indiana. He calls the STLCC chancellorship a “dream job.”
“I have been in higher education for 27 years,” he said. “I have worked at several of (Ivy Tech’s) campuses across the state. I really enjoyed being chancellor (of the Wabash Valley Region).”
Pittman will fill the position being vacated by STLCC Interim Chancellor Dennis Michaelis, whose appointment ends in July.
STLCC Board of Trustees member Craig Larson, who served on the committee that interviewed chancellor applicants, said Pittman was a good fit because of his people skills.
“The thing that propelled him was his personality,” Larson said. “He had a very pleasant and approachable style of talking to the students, to the Board of Trustees and the interim chancellor.”
Other finalists for the job included Forest Park Interim President Roderick Nunn, Arkansas’ Ozarka College President Richard Dawe and President and CEO of the New Mexico Association of Commerce Beverlee McClure.
In particular, Larson remembers an answer to a question that made Pittman a front runner in his mind. Pittman had been asked, “What new things would you bring in?”
“He said, ‘I wouldn’t bring in anything. I would be out listening to people and meeting with the board to figure out priorities to focus on,’” Larson recalls. “He said, ‘You shouldn’t hire me if I said I knew exactly what to do.’”
Pittman later elaborated on his feeling that this approach is the mark of any good administrator.
“I need to understand what people’s values are, what the culture of the institution is and what people hold dearly,” he said.
“I need to talk to faculty, staff and students about what they hope STLCC will be in the next five years. Then we can collectively move forward with our shared vision.”
Pittman and his wife, Shelly, have four children, including three sons ages 30, 29 and 27 and a 12-year-old daughter.
His family accompanied him on a trip to St. Louis last week. He visited the Forest Park campus and attended an STLCC Board of Trustees meeting on March 24.
“I think his personality is laid back,” his wife said. “But he works extremely hard when he is at work. He loves education and the staff that works under him. He isn’t interested in the politics.”
Pittman said the move to St. Louis is exciting, in part, because he’s a big Cardinals baseball fan. He will also be closer to some of his favorite places, like Table Rock Lake, where he enjoys fishing.
The board hired Michaelis in October 2013. He has gotten the ball rolling on projects such as revamping the college’s financial aid system and website, which will continue on Pittman’s watch.
Larson said the college also plans to eliminate some degree programs and align itself more with the needs of the job market.
“The mission of the community college is clearly two-fold,” Larson said. “For a number of people, we are the first stop before university. We work because we are local and inexpensive.
“But there a lot of people who can learn what they need to know with a two-year degree and get better from there. I estimate around 70 percent of people who come to STLCC aren’t necessarily looking for a degree, but the skills to get a job.”
Larson said Pittman’s background is perfect for both missions.
Pittman grew up in Bloomfield, Ind., where his high-school graduating class had only 23 students. He played basketball in a town whose residents loved the sport.
“During a game, (Bloomfield) was a ghost town because everyone was there,” he said.
Pittman earned a bachelor’s degree in business from Indiana University and a master’s in human resource development and a doctorate in educational leadership from Indiana State University.
He has worked 27 years for Ivy Tech. His jobs have included overseeing the system’s online and distance-education program and serving as Wabash Valley chancellor for a year. (At Ivy Tech, chancellors oversee campuses while the president heads the system.)
Pittman said his favorite part of working in education is fundraising for buildings and scholarships and attending commencements.
“It is the highlight of every year seeing students walk across the stage,” he said. “The things I enjoy the most are the things I have done that helped students achieve their goals.”