Bill Henry to handle PC duties
Long-time administrator now interim president
A few months ago, Porterville College President Rosa Carlson announced she would be retiring this coming fall. In her absence she will be leaving a familiar face in charge before the search for a new president begins.
Although a contract is yet to be signed, more than likely the responsibility of making sure PC continues to run smoothly in the wake of Carlson’s departure will fall in the hands of longtime faculty member, and Vice President of Academic Affairs Bill Henry.
“She knew I was thinking about retiring, and she came to me and said look if I leave will you stay? And there was absolutely no way I was going to let her down, and tell her no,” said Henry.
“So I agreed, we want to make sure we get the right fit, that is very important, the right fit for the campus, the right fit for the community.”
Henry has been with PC since 1998 after working in law enforcement for almost 24 years. He served three years with Kings County Sheriff’s office and 20 years with the Bakersfield Police Department before leaving for medical retirement. Henry was already teaching part-time at the Kern Community College and soon took a position teaching in the administration and justice program at PC for several years before moving on to administration roles.
“My plan had always been that when I retired from law enforcement, I would teach part-time, and that would just kind of give me something to do,” said Henry. He holds a bachelor’s in Criminal Justice Management and earned a master’s in Education.
After holding the VP position for some time now, Henry has a good idea of what to do to help PC run smoothly.
“We think we’ve got a pretty good plan. Dr. Carlson took some time, thought it out, there has been a lot of discussions with the administration team, with her and myself to make sure that it is a very smooth and easy transition here on the campus,” said Henry. “I want to make sure that our partnership, and our connection with the community stays as strong as it is now.”
For now, the college’s biggest concern will be the accreditation process that occurs every four to six years.
“I think that we are in great shape, we are seeing growth, we have the full complement of the faculty, our programs are growing. We have a lot of positive things going on,” said Henry. “Our biggest challenge right now is accreditation. Without accreditation we can’t operate, and we are in the process of preparing for that right now.”
John Corkins, Porterville representative of the Kern Community College Board of Trustees, said PC has never had a problem with accreditation, and has full confidence that both the college and Henry will be able to take that on.
“I think he is an outstanding fit, he knows Porterville College, he knows the community,” said Corkins.
PC will have its accreditation visit in the fall of 2018.
The transition plan for Henry to take on the presidency is all but pending on formal board action which the trustees, and chancellor have already accepted as the right decision moving forward. Formal board action however will not take place until August.
Henry will remain interim president for at least 18 months, as the board looks to find a permanent replacement. The college will also have to look for someone to hold the position of vice president, while Henry takes on PC’S presidency.
On the process of looking for a new president, the college will do a national search, bring in candidates who might be a good fit for the job. A committee made up of board of trustees, community members, faculty and staff will all have a say in who becomes the next president of PC. The college will hold open forums, where community members are more than welcome to attend. The chancellor then makes the final decision and that goes to the board for approval.
Henry will follow in Carlson’s footsteps and retire as soon as they get a full-time president.
“My intentions are to continue the good work that she (Carlson) has started. I want to keep going in the same direction that she is going,” said Henry, who has 44 years of public service. “I don’t look for any big significant changes, I don’t have any big great plans, other than hopefully keep the campus going in the positive direction that she has set for us.”