Whaley recommended as next Roane State president; vote expected Oct. 1

After a nationwide search, a state education official has recommended that Roane State Community College pick one of its own executives to be the next president.

Tennessee Board of Regents Chancellor John Morgan has recommended that Chris Whaley, Roane State’s vice president of student learning and chief academic officer, be appointed to the job, TBR said in a news release Monday.

The board of Regents could consider the appointment during a 3 p.m. Oct. 1 teleconference.

If selected, Whaley will replace Gary Goff, who will retire from Roane State on Oct. 31 after leading the campus for seven years.

“Dr. Whaley’s proven dedication to student success, his overwhelming faculty support and his earned respect of the surrounding community make him the right choice to lead Roane State into the next important phase of its future,” Morgan said. “Roane State already plays a critical role in the growth and development of its communities and the region, and I expect Dr. Whaley will continue that great work and position the college for even greater success.”

The other two finalists were Elizabeth Lewis, vice president of academic affairs at Northeast Lakeview College in Universal City, Texas, and W. Michael Stoy, president of Middle Georgia College in Cochran, Ga.

Whaley is a Roane State graduate. He worked as an attorney for three years before returning to the college in 1997 as program director of the A.A.S. Paralegal Studies program, a job he held through 2002, the press release said.

Since then, he has served in positions of successively greater administrative responsibility at the college, the release said. He was named dean of social science, business and education in 2002, and in 2010, he was promoted to vice president of student learning and chief academic officer.

Whaley has also taught as an assistant professor, associate professor, and full professor of Legal Studies at the Harriman campus, and he continues to teach.

Whaley earned his associate’s degree in social science from Roane State, a bachelor’s degree in political science from Middle Tennessee State University, and the doctor of jurisprudence from the University of Tennessee College of Law. He holds a license to practice law in Tennessee.

The Oct. 1 meeting is open to the public. Those who want to listen in on the call should contact Monica Greppin-Watts at monica.greppin-watts@tbr.edu or (615) 366-4417 before 9 a.m. Central Daylight Time on Oct. 1.

Roane State is a two-year college governed by the TBR, and it offers transfer curricula, career-preparation programs and continuing education. Founded in 1971, the college has campuses in Crossville, Harriman, Huntsville, Jamestown, Knoxville, LaFollette, Lenoir City, Oak Ridge, and Wartburg.

The TBR is the nation’s sixth largest higher education system, governing 46 post-secondary educational institutions. The TBR system includes six universities, 13 two-year colleges, and 27 technology centers, providing programs to more than 200,000 students across the state.