McHenry County Blog

Larry Tyree said he quit as McHenry County College’s interim president because of family reasons.

Now the Florida Keys Keynoter reports Tyree is one of four candidates for interim president at Florida Keys Community College.

Here’s how he is described:

“Larry Tyree of Sarasota. This would not be Tyree’s first stint as an interim community college president. He’s had that gig four times in the past three years at two colleges in Kansas, one in New York and one in Illinois.

“Tyree is also a former president of Gulf Coast Community College in Panama City. He has been working in higher education administration since 1967.”

And the situation at the sunny community college?

The current president is “out.”  And, as is McHenry County, she gets paid through the end of her 2010 contract.  She’ll be on “sabbatical.”

“Until her contract expires, (President Jill) Landesberg-Boyle will continue to get pay, benefits, use of a college-owned vehicle, and housing and cell phone stipends. She makes $159,000 annually, not including $37,000 in benefits and a $3,000 monthly housing allowance.”

Pretty much the exit strategy that was used with McHenry County College Board President Walt Packard.

I’m happy to publish press releases of a political nature and, sometimes, other subjects, but last night I received one from McHenry County College is a format which I could not copy and paste.

You can be almost certain that I am not going to re-type a press release.

So, I did something short about the revolving door presidency. This morning, still waiting for the press release, I found the resume of newly-appointed Interim President Kathleen Plinske and published it.

I’ve finally gotten the “official version” and am happy to share it with you.

McHENRY COUNTY COLLEGE PUBLIC STATEMENT FROM THE BOARD OF TRUSTEES
[Sep. 21, 2009.Crystal Lake, IL]

The Board of Trustees of McHenry County College has named Kathleen A. Plinske, Ed.D., as the Interim President at a Special Board meeting on September 21, 2009. Plinske is replacing Larry W. Tyree as the College’s Interim President. Tyree has notified the Board that he will step down as the Interim President effective October 17, 2009 due to personal and family matters which require him to return to Florida.

Plinske is currently serving as the College’s Vice President for Institutional Effectiveness. Plinske has held a number of positions with the College, beginning in 2001 when she served as Instructional Media Specialist. Plinske is a graduate of the Illinois Mathematics and Science Academy and attended Indiana University – Bloomington as a Herman B. Wells scholar, earning a Bachelor of Arts in Spanish and Physics with highest distinction.

While working at McHenry County College, Plinske completed a Masters Degree in Spanish from Roosevelt University and a Doctorate in Educational Technology from Pepperdine University with honors. In 2006 she was selected by the McHenry County Business Journal as one of McHenry County’s 10 under 40, and was recently named by Phi Delta Kappa as one of 24 emerging leaders in education worldwide. Plinske was born and raised in Crystal Lake, Illinois.

Plinske has been directly involved in a number of current College initiatives including the implementation of an Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) system as well as the College’s Academic Quality Improvement Program (AQIP) continuous improvement efforts.

Plinske commented that she will strive to provide consistency and calm in a period of transition for the College and as the College searches for a permanent president. Plinske will serve as the Interim President of the College from October 17, 2009 through June 30, 2010.

Since the press release from McHenry County College last night was incapable of being copied and pasted (so I wrote a short story), today McHenry County Blog provides the resume of newly selected Interim President Kathleen Plinske:

Kathleen A. Plinske
McHenry County College
8900 US Highway 14
Crystal Lake, IL 60012
Phone: 815-455-8694
email: kplinske@mchenry.edu
Fax: 815-455-3684
EDUCATION
Ed.D., Educational Technology, with Honors (GPA: 4.00/4.00)
Pepperdine University – Malibu, California
M.A., Spanish (GPA: 4.00/4.00)
Roosevelt University – Chicago, Illinois
B.A., Spanish and Physics, with Highest Distinction and Departmental Honors (GPA: 4.00/4.00)
Indiana University – Bloomington, Indiana
PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCE
2001 – Present MCHENRY COUNTY COLLEGE, CRYSTAL LAKE, ILLINOIS
2009 – Present: Associate Vice President of Institutional Effectiveness
• Serve as project manager for $7 million Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) conversion
• Provide College-wide leadership for accreditation, planning, and continuous improvement
• Serve as member of President’s Executive Council
• Oversee Professional Development, Resource Development, Assessment, Marketing and
Public Relations, and Institutional Research and Planning
2007 – 2008: Executive Director of Institutional Effectiveness
• Provided College-wide leadership for accreditation, planning, and continuous improvement
• Served as member of President’s Executive Council
• Oversaw Marketing and Public Relations and Institutional Research and Planning
2006 – 2007: Temporary Director of Distance Education and Professional Development
• Supervised faculty and staff in Distance Education and Professional Development
• Collaborated with Executive Deans and faculty on distance education initiatives
• Served as Master Trainer for College’s Continuous Improvement efforts
• Oversaw and managed budgets of over $500,000
2004 – 2006: Coordinator of Media Development and Technology Training
• Designed and provided technology-related training for all employees at the College
• Developed and maintained the College’s intranet website
• Served on the Academic Quality Improvement Program Steering Committee, Technology
Standing Committee of the Curriculum and Academic Policy Council, and Distance
Learning Advisory Committee
• Designed and developed training and certification program for online faculty
• Received $10,000 grant for purchase of handheld wireless response device technology for
classroom use
2001 – 2004: Instructional Media Specialist
• Developed and provided comprehensive training program for online faculty
• Designed and delivered orientation and technical support for online students
Kathleen Plinske 2
TEACHING EXPERIENCE
2001 – present MCHENRY COUNTY COLLEGE
Spanish Instructor
• Taught over 35 sections of Spanish I and II, both face-to-face, online, and hybrid
• Designed and developed online and hybrid course materials for Spanish I and II
2006 AURORA UNIVERSITY
Adjunct Faculty
• Developed and taught “Emerging Educational Technologies” graduate course
1999 – 2001 INDIANA UNIVERSITY-BLOOMINGTON
Peer Instructor, Freshman Interest Groups Program
• As a junior and senior, taught “College Experience” credit course to freshmen
Teaching Assistant, Physics Department
• As a sophomore, assisted in teaching Honors Physics course
HONORS
2009 Named one of Phi Delta Kappa’s 24 Emerging International Leaders in Education
2008 – present Member, Phi Delta Kappa
2007 Glen and Gloria Holden Scholarship, Pepperdine University
2006 Named one of McHenry County’s Top 10 Professionals Under 40
2006 Doctoral Fellow, Community College Leadership Development Initiatives
2001 – present Member, Phi Beta Kappa
2001 – present Member, Sigma Pi Sigma National Physics Honor Society
2000 – present Member, Golden Key National Honor Society
2000 Outstanding Initiate Scholarship, Golden Key National Honor Society
1997 – 2001 Herman B. Wells Scholar, Indiana University
1997 – 1999 Indiana University Science, Research, and Technology Scholar
PROFESSIONAL SERVICE
2007 – Present HIGHER LEARNING COMMISSION,NORTH CENTRAL ASSOCIATION OF COLLEGES & SCHOOLS
Peer Review Corps
• Annual Update Reviewer, Systems Portfolio Appraiser, Quality Checkup Visitor
• Reaffirmation Panelist
2008-2009 SOFTWARE AND INFORMATION INDUSTRY ASSOCIATION
CODiE Award Judge
COMMUNITY SERVICE
2008 – Present in2books.com – Reading Mentor
2005 – Present United Way – McHenry County College Campaign Chair, Allocations Panel Member
2005 – 2006 McHenry County College Staff Council – Chair, Scholarship Committee
2001 – Present McHenry County College Spanish Club – Advisor
2000 – 2001 Indiana University Student Government – Vice President for Philanthropy
1999-2001 Casa Latina – Bloomington, IN – Bilingual tutor for Spanish-speaking students
Kathleen Plinske 3
PUBLICATIONS
Plinske, K. and Packard, W. (2009). Leveraging your systems portfolio: Supporting institutional dialogue
and organizational learning. A Collection of Papers on Self-Study and Institutional Improvement,
Annual Meeting of the Higher Learning Commission of the North Central Association of Colleges
and Schools. (114th, Chicago, IL, April 17-21, 2009).
Milliron, M.D. and Plinske, K. (2009). Building for a new generation of learning: Catalytic conversations
for the educational publisher. Publishing Research Quarterly, 25(1), 1-11.
Milliron, M.D., Plinske, K. and Noonan-Terry, C. (2008). Building a new generation of learning:
Conversations to catalyze our construction. Planning for Higher Education, 37(1), 7-14.
Plinske, K., Patton, D. and Packard, W. (2007). While there’s no ‘U’ in AQIP, it’s incomplete without
you! Proceedings of the Annual Meeting of the Higher Learning Commission of the North
Central Association of Colleges and Schools (112th, Chicago, IL, Apr. 20-24, 2007).
Gunter, J. et al. (2001). Partial wave analysis of the pi0 pi0 system produced in pi -p charge exchange
collisions. Physical Review D, 64, 072003.
Marshall, S. P., Ramirez, M., Plinske, K., & Veal, C. (1998). Creating conditions for developing and
nurturing talent: The work of school leaders. NASSP Bulletin, 52(595), 75-84.
PRESENTATIONS
“Planning for the Future through Organizational Learning”
National Institute for Staff and Organizational Development Conference
5/09
“You, Too, Can YouTube”
National Institute for Staff and Organizational Development Conference
5/09
“Go Google”
National Institute for Staff and Organizational Development Conference
5/09
“Cut Through the Hype: The Executive’s Web 2.0 Toolkit”
American Association of Community Colleges Annual Convention
4/09
“What Trustees Want: The Next Generation of Community College Presidents”
American Association of Community Colleges Annual Convention
4/09
“Supporting Institutional Dialogue and Organizational Learning”
Higher Learning Commission Annual Meeting
4/09
“Preparing for a New Generation of Learning”
Leadership Greater McHenry County Conference
1/09
“A New Generation of Learning”
National Institute for Staff and Organizational Development Conference
5/08
“What Do Trustees Look for When Hiring a President? 5/08
National Institute for Staff and Organizational Development Conference
“Distance Learning 2.0: Technologies Redefining the Online Classroom” 5/07
National Institute for Staff and Organizational Development Conference
“Creating Synergy: The Work of Professional Development” 5/07
National Institute for Staff and Organizational Development Conference
Kathleen Plinske 4
PRESENTATIONS (cont.)
“While There’s No “U” in AQIP, It’s Incomplete Without You!” 4/07
Higher Learning Commission Annual Meeting
“A New Generation of Learning” 4/07
American Association of Community Colleges Annual Convention
“A New Generation of Learning” 3/07
Innovations Conference, League for Innovations in the Community College
“Modern Language Assessment Through Digital Video” 3/07
Illinois Community College Assessment Fair
“Taking the Plunge: Switching Online Learning Management Systems Successfully”
Illinois Online Conference
2/07
“Community College Leadership: Looking Back for the Future” 5/06
National Institute for Staff and Organizational Development Conference
“Social Constructivism Meets Technology: The Future of Student and Employee Engagement” 4/06
American Association of Community Colleges Annual Convention
“Digital Video as a Tool for Faculty Development”
National Institute for Staff and Organizational Development Conference
5/05
“Assessment Gone Wireless” 5/05
National Institute for Staff and Organizational Development Conference
“Adobe Acrobat + JavaScript = Self-Grading Worksheets!”
Digital Stream: California State University Monterey Bay
3/05
“Handheld Wireless Response Technology for Classroom Assessment” 3/05
Digital Stream: California State University Monterey Bay
Keynote Address: “Caring to Challenge” Teacher Recognition Ceremony
Illinois Mathematics and Science Academy
3/05
“Digital Communication Tools in Professional Development” 10/04
National Council for Staff, Program, and Organizational Development
“Creating a Learner-Centered Language Classroom” – Pre-Conference Workshop 8/04
American Association of Teachers of Spanish and Portuguese Annual Meeting
“Teaching Reading Comprehension at a Distance: Bringing Legends to Life”
Digital Stream: California State University Monterey Bay
3/04
“The Use of Digital Video as a Tool for Professional Development” 3/04
Digital Stream: California State University Monterey Bay
“100% Retention in an Online Spanish Course”
American Association of Teachers of Spanish and Portuguese Annual Meeting
8/03
“Creating Interactive Online Listening Exercises”
Digital Stream: California State University Monterey Bay
3/03
“100% Retention in Online Language Courses? Innovative Technology Makes it Possible”
Digital Stream: California State University Monterey Bay
3/03
“Digital Video Portfolios and Online Peer Evaluations”
Illinois Council of Community College Administrators Conference
11/02
Kathleen Plinske 5
PRESENTATIONS (cont.)
“Teaching Language & Culture through Music & Technology”
Digital Stream: California State University Monterey Bay
3/02
“Creating Digital Video Portfolios and Online Peer Evaluations”
Digital Stream: California State University Monterey Bay
3/02
“A Study of Factors Affecting Interpretation of Pronouns in Spanish”
Form-Meaning Connections in Second-Language Acquisition: University of Illinois at Chicago
2/02

Larry Tyree, the interim president to replace $200,000 a year not quite retiree Walt Packard, was introduced to college employees today.

Presumably, he will be at the concluding meeting of the MAP (probably short for something, but it hasn’t reached my consciousness) process designed to get a tax hike committee together.

The following press release was received from McHenry County College:

MCC WELCOMES NEW INTERIM PRESIDENT

[August 18, 2009.Crystal Lake, IL] McHenry County College welcomed interim President Lawrence (Larry) W. Tyree, Ed.D. to his first day on the job Monday. His term will run through the end of June 2010, at which time the college hopes to have completed its search for a permanent president.

Tyree was appointed as interim president at a special board meeting in June and comes to MCC with an extensive background in higher education and leadership. Prior to serving at MCC, he was interim president at three separate community colleges, including his most recent appointment at Monroe Community College in Rochester, New York.

According to MCC Board of Trustees chairperson, George Lowe,

“Both the board and college employees are excited to bring Dr. Tyree on board. The college has been going through a good deal of change these past few months, so a new president will help support the college’s focus and keep us all on track.”

Tyree had an opportunity to meet many MCC staff members at an informal reception on Monday, and he’ll be addressing college employees Thursday in a more formal setting at MCC’s Faculty Development Day, a day of workshops and meetings designed to prepare faculty and staff for the start of a new semester. Fall classes at MCC start August 21.

“This is certainly an exciting time at MCC, as we are expecting record enrollment this fall,” Tyree said. “We’re working on final preparations for the semester to ensure that we provide outstanding learning opportunities for our students and community.”

Prior to filling presidential seats, Tyree was a full professor at the University of Florida and served there as the director of the Institute of Higher Education and the executive director of the National Alliance of Community and Technical Colleges.

Tyree was also a community college CEO for 26 years at Gulf Coast Community College in Panama City, Florida, the Dallas County Community College District in Dallas, Texas, and Santa Fe College in Gainesville, Florida.

He earned a Doctor of Education (Ed.D.) from Indiana University, Bloomington and both his Master of Education (M.Ed.) and Bachelor of Arts in Education (B.A.E.) from University of Florida, Gainesville.

Tyree said his passion for community colleges started through his own experience receiving an Associate in Arts (A.A.) from Pensacola Junior College in Pensacola, FL.

In addition to overseeing the operations of MCC, Tyree will provide additional support and expertise on college programs, including the MCC Promise and the college’s AQIP continuous improvement efforts and Systems Portfolio.

In addition to the community college environment, Tyree’s other passion is his family.

He is married with three grown children and four grandchildren. A native of Pensacola, Florida, he enjoys boating, golfing, and alternating visits between the mountains of North Carolina and the southwest coast of Florida.