July 29, 2008
Cecilia Cervantes recommended for presidency of Hennepin Technical College
Contact: Melinda Voss, (651) 296-9443, melinda.voss@so.mnscu.eduMinnesota State Colleges and Universities Chancellor James H. McCormick said today he will recommend that the Board of Trustees appoint Cecilia Y.M. Cervantes as president of Hennepin Technical College.
Cervantes, 59, is president of the College of Alameda in Alameda, Calif. Previously, she served as associate vice president for lifelong learning and career-technical education at El Paso Community College District in Texas; provost of the Transmountain campus of El Paso Community College District; associate campus director for instruction and associate professor of reading at Doña Ana Community College in New Mexico and vice president of academic affairs at Western New Mexico University.
“Dr. Cervantes’ leadership skills and experience are impressive,” McCormick said. “They offer the right mix for Hennepin Technical College to continue its tradition of providing high-quality and state-of-the-art technical education programs.
“The field of candidates was extremely strong. But in the end, the combination of her six years of experience as a president and her higher education leadership nationally were deciding factors,” he said.
Cervantes serves on the board and executive committee of the American Association of Community Colleges, which represents community and technical colleges.
She also has been dean of continuing education and dean of arts and humanities and director of federal projects at Community College of Denver; reading coordinator of the Right to Read project at the Denver Public Library and an elementary teacher in the Ysleta Public Schools in Texas. Cervantes holds a bachelor’s degree in Spanish, a master’s degree in education from the University of Texas, El Paso, and a Ph.D. in curriculum and instruction from the University of Colorado.
The Board of Trustees will consider the chancellor's recommendation during a special meeting at 3 p.m. Wednesday.
The new president will replace Kathryn Jeffery, who resigned to take another position. Hennepin Technical College serves more than 8,200 students in credit courses annually and provides a wide array of diplomas, certificates and associate degree programs.
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Note: A photo is available by e-mailing christine.mcging@so.mnscu.edu
Minnesota's 31 state community and technical colleges, and universities serve more than 430,000 students across the state.
