Rose State College president makes retirement plans
MIDWEST CITY — In his nearly 41 years at the school, Rose State College President Terry Britton has watched the campus grow from a few buildings to a 120-acre complex.
Now he is ready to turn over the reins to someone new.
Britton will retire in June 2013. Now seemed like the right time, he said — he’s in good enough health to do the things he’d like to do in retirement, such as traveling and fly-fishing.
“It’s time to sit back a little and reflect on what everything means,” he said.
Britton came to the college in 1972 as a literature instructor. Within months of beginning work, he was chosen to serve as the director of the Learning Resources Center, a position he held nearly 20 years.
In 1991, he was named vice president for information services, a position he held until he was promoted to vice president of academic affairs in 1996. He became executive vice president in 2000 and was named president in 2006.
Britton said he’s leaving the college in strong shape academically. But the financial picture isn’t as rosy, he said, largely due to a lagging economy.
In May, Britton called on faculty, staff and students to contact lawmakers to express support for greater funding for higher education, saying a proposed budget increase would allow colleges and universities to keep pace with inflation and address certain issues before those institutions began to degrade.
The college’s role has grown during the past four decades, Britton said. When he arrived at the college, it was only two years old, and it focused almost exclusively on students who were seeking credit to transfer to a fouryear school.
Although the college continues to perform that role, Britton said, it also has a heavy focus on workforce development, particularly at nearby Tinker Air Force Base.
The college’s role in the community also has grown, he said. Its Community Learning Center offers noncredit classes for community members, including the Kids College youth program.
The growth the college has undergone over the decades has been one of the main reasons he stayed, Britton said.
“It’s constantly changing,” he said. “It’s a fun place to work.”
Britton said he expects growth and change to continue after he leaves. As new technology comes on the market, colleges will develop new ways for delivering information to their students, in the same way that tablet computers have replaced overhead projectors, he said.
But community colleges will continue to have a role to play in the decades to come, Britton said. There will always be a need for well-rounded education with a strong basis in liberal arts, he said, and community colleges will help fulfill that need.
“We’re in the business of helping students be better citizens,” he said. “And I don’t think that will ever change.”