Red Mountain dean to fill district position
Health care, nursing, integrated technology workforce are district’s biggest issues, Vanis says

BY JORDAN CURRIER
MESA LEGEND
Sumbitted January 23, 2001

After four years serving as the founding Campus Dean for MCC at Red Mountain, Dr. Mary Vanis has been selected from a pool of national candidates to serve as MCCD’s director of business and workforce development.

The final selection was made by Dr. Fred Gaskin, chancellor, and Dr. Anna Solley, vice chancellor for Student Educational Development.

The director of business and workforce development position was vacated after Bertha Landrum retired from the position after 25 years.

Vanis’ first administrative role for MCCD was in 1982, when she served as director of Adult Basic Education at Rio Salado Community College.

As yet, no candidates have been announced to replace Vanis at Red Mountain.

According to Dr. Larry Christiansen, president of MCC, there has been no official posting for the available campus dean position at Red Mountain. "There is a priority to get Red Mountain open," Christiansen said. "That is our priority now, and the question becomes, should we fill it in the same manner – so it’s not uncommon that we kind of look at our organizational structure, look at all the different pieces of it, and look at how everything will fit."

Joseph Pearson, associate dean of Instruction for MCC at Red Mountain, is pleased that Vanis is progressing in the district.

"It’s a coveted role that she has taken on at the district, it’s an excellent role for her. She’s a very innovative person, and she will use that innovation to help the district," Pearson said.

"Dr. Vanis was clearly the top candidate from a national field of individuals who are working in the area of work-force development," Gaskin said.

"She had the best grasp of the concepts and a good sense of how to go about doing the job."

According to Vanis, her selection was made after a series of interviews with committees composed of representatives from industry, faculty and occupational deans. She was then selected from four finalists by Gaskin and Solley.

Vanis’ dean-level salary of $116, 638 a year remains the same from her position at Red Mountain.

Vanis spearheaded the district’s one-college, two-campus model that has connected Red Mountain to MCC.

According to Vanis, she will provide oversight to occupations and education over MCC, and is involved in working with the business community on city, county and state levels with emphasis on the district’s health care arena and IT workforce.

"I’m still assessing what all the issues are," Vanis said. "We’ve been challenged to continue with the growing business community."