Mesa Legend - News - Interim chief seeks to steady rocky MCC

Interim chief seeks to steady rocky MCC
Zach Hibert
and Ivy Villaflores
Mesa Legend

Wayne Giles will take the reigns as interim president of Mesa Community College on March 1.
Giles said he intends to be a steadying force.

“My primary goal is to provide a smooth transition for the new president.”

Giles said in a Feb. 14 interview that he will be doing research to form a strategic plan for MCC, but he was not clear on specific actions he will take.

“The best knowledge comes not from reports and figures, but from the people that work there.”
Giles will serve until the end of the spring semester, according to Chancellor Rufus Glasper.

Giles and Glasper, along with a search firm and blue-ribbon panel, will develop a profile for the position of president, and then conduct a national search to find the right person.

Giles said he will not be applying for the position.

Giles brings 40 years of educational experience with him to MCC. He is the retired chancellor of the Metropolitan Community College District in Kansas City, Mo.

“Part of the interim president’s job is to help us begin to look for a good candidate,” Glasper said.

This change in leadership comes under the shadow of an ongoing investigation by the Maricopa County Attorney’s Office and the Maricopa County Sheriff’s Office.

Former MCC President Larry Christiansen was removed Feb. 7 by Glasper in reaction to the investigation.

The district is still processing requests for public documents by local media. Additional stories focusing on MCC are expected, according to Glasper and Patricia Cardenas-Adame, acting president until March 1, when Giles takes his post.

Glasper cites MCC’s reputation as a tight-knit family as reason to search outside the community.

“We demonstrate closeness, but people may not trust us because of that. We need an objective third party, someone with experience that believes in Maricopa,” he said.

With the change that MCC will be facing, Glasper and Cardenas-Adame encouraged MCC employees to come together.

At an all-employee meeting, Feb. 13, Glasper addressed the recent shift in leadership. About 200 employees were in attendance, all from different areas of the college.

“We need to bring this family back together,” Glasper said.

The MCC family had some tough questions. Employees were given an opportunity to anonymously ask questions by writing them on index cards.

One questioned Glasper’s accountability.

In response he said, “I take responsibility for doing what I think is right, and for what has gone wrong. Changes have been made, but they were obviously not enough.”

Another asked if he felt his job was in jeopardy.“I have no clue. I do believe that four board members will publicly support me though,” he said.

Cardenas-Adame said that she and the leadership board of MCC are dedicated to the students and staff of MCC.

“We are committed to focusing on students learning process and most importantly, students’ success,” Cardenas-Adame said.