Tulsa Junior College, Dr. Dean VanTrease Presidential Acceptance Speech and Media Coverage Video, 1989, No. 1

A video showing Dr. Dean VanTrease's presidential acceptance speech and media coverage on his election as Tulsa Junior College's second President in 1989. Dr. VanTrease acted as Tulsa Junior College's first Vice President.

[woman] Call to order a special meeting of the Tulsa Junior College Board of Regents.

Roll call: Doctor Taylor, Mister Blue, Miss Baker, Doctor Chappelle, Miss Cremmie, Mister Gimble.

There is a quorum present.

As this time the Board of Regents will move into an executive session for the purpose of discussing the hiring of the President.

Room 506.

[shuffling of papers, people standing up, blue screen]

[woman]Special meeting of the Tulsa Junior College Board of Regents is called back into session. At this time I call on Mister Long Moony, chairman of the search committee, for his report. You want to move up here too, please.

[Long] Thank you madame Chairman. Following the retirement announcement of Doctor Philips, a presidential search committee was appointed on March the 24th for the purpose of searching and recommending a choice for president of Tulsa Junior College.

-The committee comprised of Regents Dorothy Zumwalt, Doctor Oscar Chappelle, who was also a member of the original search committee that hired Dr Phillips in nineteen seventy, and myself as chairman first developed a profile of the positions which I’ll read as follows: That he… that the person have an earned doctorate from an accredited institution, that he have an understanding and commitment to the comprehensive junior college philosophy, an understanding of the needs and concerns of a public two year comprehensive urban college students faculty and staff. An understanding of the needs and concerns of the citizens business and industry in the college's service area, proven leadership qualities which demonstrated ability to work and communicate effectively with campus and community groups. Evidence the managerial and fiscal competency in higher education, significant upper level administrative experience in an urban junior college is preferred.
The committee then known later implemented an advertising program for announcing the vacancy as follows: The Tulsa World and Tribune, the Oklahoma Eagle, which is a Tulsa publication, the Tulsa Urban League and all of the Tulsa Junior College employees through an internal memorandum. Additionally the daily Oklahoman in Oklahoma City, the Oklahoma State employment service and then the Dallas Times Herald, the Kansas City Star, the St Louis Post Dispatch on a regional basis, and then on a national basis the Chronicle of Higher Education. The announcement ran at least twice in each of these publications over a three week period following the establishment of the committee.
A total of sixty-six applications were received from across the country. These applications were then reviewed and through an elimination process reduced to twelve. Through further screening the number was reduced to four highly qualified candidates. The personal interview process began by bringing each candidate to Tulsa where the committee met with each and provided a tour of all campuses including the central office. Additionally other members of the board were provided time separately to interview each of the four candidates.
Following the personal interview process the number of applicants was reduced to two finalists, which included an internal and external candidate. The committee then traveled to the external applicants campus where its’ facilities were observed and toured and interviews with the various staff, faculty, and persons outside the college took place. Following the committee's return, the internal finalist was interviewed further as well as additional interviews were held with the staff, the faculty, and persons in the community. Each candidate was questioned extensively relative to their management styles, current and past programs initiated under their direction, their ability to work and communicate effectively with campus and community groups, and what they would bring to Tulsa Junior College to lead our institution into the twenty first century.
The candidate your committee will recommend this morning strongly advocates educational excellence and is a highly capable extremely knowledgeable persevering individual who is goal oriented but the ability to effectively measure successes as well as identify failures. He manages by objectives and his buy-in style allows his people to become a part of new programs by experiencing ownership. Following program development on a participating basis considerable latitude administrators, staff, and faculty alike allows for creative accomplishments and successes. His risk taking philosophy for embarking on new and innovative programs will help in keeping Tulsa Junior College on the cutting edge into the next century. He deals with the public and private sector skillfully and effectively and has demonstrated ability to raise funding for the private sector is evidenced as is the ability to secure the college a share of public education dollars. His fiscal competency in the higher education arena has proven it. He understands and is committed to the comprehensive junior college philosophy. He possesses and understands an understanding of the needs and concerns of the citizens, business, and industry of the college’s service area. He demonstrates significant upper level administrative experience in the urban college…urban junior college and has an understanding of the needs and concerns of a public two year comprehensive urban college's students, faculty, and staff. He’s a man quietly but forcefully involved in community service and his church. He is truthful and his integrity character and morals are beyond reproach.
As chairman of the presidential search committee it gives me great pleasure and a high sense of personal satisfaction to recommend and I so move to the junior college Board of Regents for the position of President, Dr Dean Paul VanTrease at a salary of eighty four thousand per year plus standard health disability and retirement benefits plus a twelve thousand for your office allowance all subject to review annually by the board and executive session. Thank you, madam chairman.
–Madam Chairman, I’d like to second that motion.
-It has been moved and seconded that Dr. Dean VanTrease be named as president of Tulsa Junior College. Is there any discussion? Role call.
-I believe you have a proxy from Dr. Taylor.
-I do. Dr. Taylor votes yes.
-Miss Zumwalt?
-Yes.
-Mr. Blue?
-Yes.
-Miss Baker?
-Yes.
-Dr. Chappelle?
-Yes.
-Miss Kerney?
-Yes.
-Mr. Nooney
-Yes.
-The vote is unanimous.
-And I think we all say hooray! [applause]
-Madam chairman, members of the Board of Regents. First of all, I want to say I accept! There are really are three comments I would like to make. One relates to the past, one relates to the present, and one to the future. First I would like to thank Dr. Al Phillips for his twenty years coaching and teaching. There is no finer mentor anywhere. I would like to thank our faculty and staff and board who through the years had developed…created, developed, and implemented many excellent educational programs and services which has made us all look good. Secondly, I'd like to thank the Board of Regents for their confidence and trust. You know fsrnkly, I would have a agree as a candidate for this position that they were extremely thorough and diligent in their search and I appreciate that. That that makes me feel good that they have searched far and wide to fill this position. I also have my wife Augusta in the audience and my son Phil and daughter Gayle and I appreciate their support through this process.

-Have them stand.

-They’re right there. Will you please stand?
Thirdly I would like to express a feeling that permeates this whole organization. And this has been a feeling and is a feeling that we always want to do better. That we always want to serve more. That we always want to do a better job for this community. And I think with that feeling and that attitude that by the twenty first century that this college is going to be serving thirty to thirty five thousand people on a regular basis. Yes, we can look back to the past twenty years where tremendous track record has been established by this college and it’s nice to be part of a winner. But we have tremendous opportunities now to move ahead. The foundation has been laid. We need now to continue to innovate, to create, and to uniquely serve Tulsa and the state of Oklahoma. You know I was thinking about a comment by Winston Churchill that I think is very applicable today, we stated at one time “no this is not the beginning of the end, but instead this is the end of the beginning”. I look forward to administratively leading in this college in the nineties and into the twenty first century. Thank you. [applause]

-I would make one brief comment…

-After an intensive search began with sixty six applicants the Tulsa Junior College Board of Regents today named interim president Dr. Dean VanTrease as the new TJC president. The search was narrowed down to two candidates. One from outside of Tulsa Junior College and VanTrease, who served as executive vice president at TJC since 1970. VanTrease replaced Al Phillips, who retired earlier this summer after twenty years of service and building Tulsa Junior College.

- [VanTrease] …to continue to innovate, to create, and to uniquely serve Tulsa and the state of Oklahoma.
-As president of Tulsa Junior College VanTrease will be paid eighty four thousand dollars a year plus the twelve thousand dollars office allowance.

-The waiting is over for teachers and students of Tulsa Junior College. Today they learned who their new president will be. This morning Dean VanTrease the former executive vice president was elected president by the Board of Regents. The move follows a nationwide search to replace Al Philips, the only other president the school was had. TJC is currently the third largest college in the state. It’s expected to have as many as thirty five thousand students by the turn of the century and VanTrease says that continuing that trend is one of his biggest challenges.
-[VanTrease] Well it’s one of the major challenges is to continue to obtain capital funding and operating support to allow this college to grow and develop to the extent that it should to serve this community.

-VanTrease’s salary is eighty four thousand dollars plus benefits.

-Tulsa Junior College has a new president with a familiar name. Dean VanTrease who joined the school when opened in nineteen sixty nine. Now twenty three thousand students attend TJC classes. VanTrease says growth might mean a fourth campus is needed. Probably the market for TJC in the next five, ten years is probably between thirty, thirty five thousand people. If you look at the people that could benefit in this area from our kind of education, and right now we don't have the facilities to accommodate them. VanTrease also says TJC must serve minorities better than it does.