Yavapai College News
New VP of Academic and Student Affairs arriving in Aug.
Last updated: 8/4/2010 5:21:06 PM
Gillespie is Yavapai College's New VP of Academic and Student Affairs
(PRESCOTT) --Yavapai College has a new Vice President of Academic and Student Affairs. He's Dr. Greg Gillespie, who's been Interim Vice President, Administrative Services, at South Seattle Community College in Washington since February 2009 when he was appointed to fill a vacancy there.
He begins his new position at Yavapai College on Aug. 16 during the college's annual Employee Day that marks the return of the faculty to campus for the fall semester. He will be introduced to the campus community and hold a public forum to answer questions.
Dr. Gillespie was Dean for Academic programs at South Seattle for three years prior to accepting the interim post. He has a unique combination of private sector and academic experience over a 30-year career that began at North Dakota State University where he was Assistant Professor, Agronomy, and a graduate research assistant. He earned a Bachelor of Science in Agronomy from Washington State University at Pullman, followed by an MS and a Ph.D. in the same subject from North Dakota State.
"I am excited to become a member of Yavapai College and the community," he said in a telephone interview. "I look forward to joining efforts that provide student access to diverse programs and higher education."
Yavapai College President James Horton said Dr. Gillespie has a diverse background, having served in both urban and rural college settings. "He has really strong experience in technical education and agricultural programs, both of which are important at Yavapai College," he said. "In addition, he's had success in addressing community needs at other colleges. His selection fills a critical position here and we look forward to having him join us."
Dr. Gillespie taught agriculture and served as department head at Yakima Valley Community College, where he led program innovations and established a Grape and Wine Education Program. While there, he helped replace the animal science program with a new accredited Veterinary Technology Program, one of only two in the state.
At South Seattle, he implemented strategic enrollment management to guide substantial growth in the number of full time students and provided division leadership for full and part time faculty. As interim Vice President there last year, he participated in strategic planning as a member of the President's Cabinet and provided overall financial management of the college.