PRESIDENTS OF MONTGOMERY COLLEGE
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Hugh G. Price, M. A.
First President (Dean) of Montgomery College, 1946-1953
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In 1946, Montgomery Junior College opened at Bethesda-Chevy Chase High School under the Control of the Montgomery County Board of Education. The Board of Education chose Mr. Hugh G. Price as dean of the junior college; and therefore, considered the first president of the college. Mr. Price had taught chemistry at Bethesda-Chevy Chase High School. The College opened after World War II when many veterans wanted to go to college part-time and could attend under the G.I. Bill of Rights. The College opened with eight full-time faculty, 186 students, and a handful of staff. During his tenure, Dean Price served faithfully and enthusiastically. In 1950, he lead the way for the purchase of the Bliss Electrical School campus in Takoma Park which would become home for the College’s first campus. In June, 1953, he left to accept a position as Dean at Ventura Junior College.
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Donald E. Deyo, Ph.D.
Second President of Montgomery College, 1953-1965
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Dr. Donald E. Deyo served as the second president of Montgomery Junior College. He served as president for twelve years and the College saw increased enrollment each year. It was during the Deyo administration that George Washington Carver Junior College, an accredited black community college in Rockville, merged with Montgomery College in 1957 after segregated public education ended in Montgomery County.
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George A. Hodson, Jr., Ph.D.
Third President of Montgomery College, 1965-1966
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Dr. George A. Hodson, Jr. served as president of Montgomery Junior College for one year and the highlight of his administration was the opening of the second campus in Rockville in September 1965. The campus opened with nearly 2500 students.
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William C. Strasser, Jr., Ph.D.
Fourth President of Montgomery College, 1966-1979
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Dr. William C. Strasser, Jr., president emeritus of Montgomery College, served as Montgomery College president and secretary-treasurer to the Board of Trustees for 13 years, beginning February 20,1967, after joining the administrative staff of the College on June 9, 1966. He retired on June 25, 1979. When he began, the college was still known as Montgomery Junior College and was still led by the Montgomery County Board of Education. Under Dr. Strasser's leadership, Montgomery College came under the direction of its own Board of Trustees in 1969 and was renamed Montgomery College. In addition, Montgomery College enrollments and course offerings quadrupled, a new campus opened in Germantown, the Takoma Park Campus expanded and underwent a renovation, the Rockville Campus more than doubled in capacity and an adult continuing education program was established.
In total, Dr. Strasser spent 35 years in the administration of public secondary and higher education. Now retired, Dr. Strasser once served as a Visiting Scholar at the University of California-Berkley and a Carnegie Postdoctoral Fellow in the Administration of Higher Education at the University of Michigan. His writings have been published in national journals and he has presented at regional and national forums throughout his career.
Dr. Strasser was recognized by the Board of Trustees with the attached resolution upon his retirement from the College.
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Recognition of Dr. William C. Strasser
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WHEREAS, William C. Strasser has served Montgomery Community College as President since February 20, 1967, after having joined the administrative staff of the College on June 9, 1966; and
WHEREAS, during his tenure as President, the College’s enrollment and curriculum offerings have increased many fold, the construction of facilities on the Rockville Campus has been virtually completed, the facilities of the Takoma Park Campus have been redeveloped and construction of new facilities is nearing completion, and a third campus at Germantown has been opened in its newly constructed facilities; and
WHEREAS, under Dr. Strasser’s leadership as President, the Office of Community Service as initiated and has become a major and responsiver educational enterprise, the accreditation of the Takoma Park Campus and the Rockville Campus were reaffirmed by the regional accrediting authorities, salaries and benefits have become among the best in the State of Maryland and the nation, and the management of the College has been commended for performance of its responsibilities by local and State government, accrediting teams, and representatives of business and community groups; and
WHEREAS, Dr. Strasser’s creativity and valuable insight concerning the role and mission of the community college, his recognition of the enhancement to be realized from interdisciplinary and multicultural educsational instruction, is attention to accountability and responsibility a community college must maintain for its constituency, his perception of the College as a potential and continuing educational resources for all County residents, and his foresight regarding the educational needs of today’s students have brought credit to and recognition of the Collegbe at local, state, and national levels; and
WHEREAS, Dr. Strasser’s educational leadership has enable the College community to look beyond the immediate future and has encouraged the development of long-range flexible master plans for reflecting new ways of relating to diverse student bodies; and
WHEREAS, the Chairman of the Board of Trustees, in personal and official recognition of Dr. Strasser’s interest, sensitivity, and apprecitioanof the world around him and his effective and reliable services as President of the College, recommends this tribute to him by the Board of Trustees; now therefore be it
Resolved, That the Board of Trustees express its deep appreciation to Dr. William C. Strasser for his dedicated, distinctive, and conscientious service to the College, and extend to him best wishes for the future; and be it further
Resolved, That in recognition of his significant contribution to the College, the Board of Trustees authorize a special recognition award be granted and presented to him together with a copy of this resolution.
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Board of Trustees
June 25, 1979
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Robert E. Parilla, Ph.D.
Fifth President of Montgomery College, 1979-1999
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Dr. Robert E. Parilla, president emeritus of Montgomery College, served as Montgomery College president, chief executive officer, and secretary-treasurer to the Board of Trustees for 20 years, beginning in 1979. Under his leadership, the College significantly expanded partnerships with industry; the Montgomery County Public Schools; health care organizations; and national entities such as the Smithsonian Institution, the American Film Institute, and the Oracle Corporation.
His many accomplishments included establishing a nationally recognized College Foundation and Alumni Association; instituting a comprehensive planning system; creating a long-term strategic plan for information technology; winning funding for the expansion, development, and renovation of each campus, including county-approved plans to double the size of the Takoma Park Campus; substantially increasing diversity in all employment categories; and launching the Information Technology Institute to serve the regional business community. Dr. Parilla has been lauded by national, state, and local organizations and is highly respected by public officials at all levels of government; by colleagues in business, higher education, and at Montgomery County Public Schools; and by Montgomery College students, alumni, faculty, and staff.
He served on dozens of national and local boards including the High Technology Council of Maryland, the Montgomery County Executive’s Economic Advisory Council, the National Science Foundation, the American Council on Education’s Commission on Leadership Development, and the Middle States Association Commission on Higher Education.
Dr. Parilla’s awards included the 1998 Bernie Education Fund Citizenship Award, 1998 Montgomery County Workforce Development Legacy Award, 1997 Educator of the Year Award, 1996 Washingtonian of the Year, and Blue Chip Award, for which he was selected by the University of Texas as one of the top 50 transformational leaders in U.S. community colleges.
Prior to coming to Montgomery College, Dr. Parilla served as executive vice chancellor and provost at Cuyahoga Community College in Cleveland, Ohio, where he also held positions as vice chancellor for educational planning and development, campus president, campus dean, director of continuing education, and professor of chemistry.
In 1998, friends of the College marked the retirement of Dr. Parilla by raising more than $300,000 to launch the Robert E. Parilla Endowment for Community Leadership, the Rockville Campus Performing Arts Center was renamed Robert E. Parilla Performing Arts Center, and a walking path in the Lake Needwood portion of Rock Creek Regional Park was named after him.
Dr. Parilla was recognized by the Board of Trustees with the attached resolution upon his retirement from the College.
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Award of Gold Medallion and Emeritus Status to Dr. Robert E. Parilla
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WHEREAS, Dr. Robert E. Parilla, President and Chief Executive Officer of Montgomery College and Secretary/Treasurer to the Board of Trustees, has led this College with outstanding dedication, commitment and nationally recognized leadership for twenty years and will retire effective
January 2, 1999; and
WHEREAS, Dr. Parilla’s presidency is characterized by his passion for education; dedication to providing the highest quality educational opportunity for all students; personification of ethical, transformational and accountable leadership; and commitment to helping all students, staff and faculty develop leadership values and abilities; and
WHEREAS, Dr. Parilla’s extraordinary leadership has transformed nearly every aspect of the College, including student achievement, faculty and staff development, facilities enhancement and campus expansion, internal relations and external partnerships with business, government, and public education, and the College’s image in the community as evidenced by the Middle States Accrediting Team report which praised the College’s leadership, student success, fiscal soundness, governance, and commitment to students and gave the College an unqualified 10-year accreditation with no additional recommendations; and
WHEREAS, Dr. Parilla’s belief in the mission of community colleges, his faith in each member of the Montgomery College community, and his dedication to the principles of opportunity and individual responsibility have advanced the community’s understanding of the importance of Montgomery College, ensured public funding, secured extraordinary support from the business community, motivated scores of volunteers, helped make Montgomery College the choice of one in four County high school seniors each year; and helped to change the lives of hundreds of thousands of students; and
WHEREAS, Dr. Parilla’s many legacies include a nationally recognized fine, performing and visual arts program; the internationally known Homer S. Gudelsky Institute for Technical Education which continues to advance public recognition of the value of technicians; an unwavering commitment to incorporating the humanities in each field of study which led to the historic partnership with the Smithsonian Institution and creation of the unique Humanities Institute; and the creation of a vibrant organizational culture which values leadership at all levels and the importance of values-based decision making; and
WHEREAS, Dr. Parilla’s commitment to the community college mission has led to creation of student-focused programming; the forging of countless partnerships to benefit students, County residents and local business; and a remarkable and positive mutual relationship with elected officials which has resulted in Montgomery College receiving one of the highest percentages of local funding of any two-year college in the State, the passing of a new State funding formula for community colleges, and the passage of such legislation as funding for English as a Second Language, technology partnerships and the Takoma Park expansion plans; and
WHEREAS, under his leadership, the Montgomery College Foundation and Alumni Association were established and are now flourishing, recognized as among the best in the country as evidenced by awards from the Council for the Advancement and Support of Education for Best Development Program and Best Alumni Program in the country, raising millions of dollars for endowments, new facilities, scholarships, faculty development and special programs; and
WHEREAS, Dr. Parilla’s ability to motivate others and provide strategic and creative leadership are evidenced by a long list of innovative initiatives including successfully leading Montgomery College’s first political ballot campaign to improve public funding, an initiative which passed with an 80% vote of support, conducting the first community college capital campaign in the State to construct a building, and inspiring the creation of the National Science Foundation Advanced Technology Center program for community colleges; and
WHEREAS, his vision and leadership provided the impetus for a comprehensive planning system for the College, improved budgets, and the development of numerous strategic plans which aided the College in focusing its resources in achieving its goals and objectives in support of its mission including a collegewide technology strategic plan resulting in an information technology network placing 4,000 personal computers in classrooms, labs and offices, interactive video classrooms, televised courses and Internet courses; and a facilities master plan developed for the expansion and renovation of the College’s facilities, addition of six new buildings including the Performing Arts Center which will bear his name, renovation of four existing buildings, and finalizing plans for doubling the size and capacity of the Takoma Park Campus; and
WHEREAS, Dr. Parilla’s commitment to equal opportunity and professional advancement for all is demonstrated by an outstanding record of increasing the diversity in all employment categories, the hiring of an administrative staff which is currently one-half women and one-third minority; and a student body which includes members of approximately 150 nations; and
WHEREAS, Dr. Parilla improved the internal climate and guided the institution through faculty and staff collective bargaining processes and agreements followed by subsequent positive negotiations and the maintenance of an effective system of shared governance; and
WHEREAS, Dr. Parilla oversaw the development of a student success model to direct resources and support for students to succeed resulting in more students transferring to the University of Maryland from Montgomery College than any other community college and nearly as many as all other community colleges combined; and
WHEREAS, under his leadership, he established an effective system of Board communication and President/Board evaluation based on institutional goals and needs, as well as initiated retreats and monthly reports to the Board; and
WHEREAS, Dr. Parilla has been recognized with a number of awards including: “Washingtonian of the Year, 1996;” the 1998 Legacy Award by the Workforce Development Corporation; the 1998 Bernie Education Fund Citizenship Award; the Blue Chip Award naming him one of fifty transformational leaders in American community colleges; the 1997 Educator of the Year Award from the Maryland Association of Higher Education; the Isaac K. Beckes Award of the National League for Nursing; first recipient of the Association of Community College Trustees Outstanding Chief Executive Officer Award for the Northeast Region; and the Educator Achievement Award by the National Science Foundation; and
WHEREAS, Dr. Parilla was appointed to the boards of dozens of national, regional and local business and educational organizations including the Maryland High Technology Council; Montgomery County Executive’s Economic Advisory Council; Interagency Technology Policy Coordination Committee; Maryland Association of Community Colleges (founding vice chair); American Council on Education’s Commission on Minorities in Higher Education; the Board of the Art Institute of Philadelphia; AACJC Presidents Academy; the Education and Human Resources Directorate of the National Science Foundation; Commissioner for the Commission on Higher Education of Middle States Association; the Council on Post-Secondary Accreditation; and the National League of Nursing; and
WHEREAS, he has motivated hundreds of volunteers, inspired countless students, earned the admiration of scores of major business leaders, and has been lauded by four County Executives for his administrative leadership, credibility and exemplary worthiness of the public’s trust; and
WHEREAS, the Board of Trustees’ policy provides that “All administrators who retire with a minimum of ten years’ service as an administrator with Montgomery College shall be designated administrator emeritus(a) with appropriate title, subject to the approval of the Board of Trustees”; and
WHEREAS, during Dr. Parilla’s career he has served as an exemplary scholar and leader, and has contributed his talents and abilities unselfishly to enhance higher education; and
WHEREAS, the Board of Trustees recommends this public recognition of Dr. Parilla on the occasion of his retirement; now therefore be it
Resolved, That the members of the Board of Trustees express their sincere appreciation to Dr. Robert E. Parilla for his many contributions to Montgomery College and the community it serves, and also extend to him their best wishes that his retirement years be productive and fulfilling; and be it further
Resolved, That Dr. Robert E. Parilla is granted the status of President Emeritus, and that he be accorded such recognition and honors as may be appropriate to persons holding this rank; and be it further
Resolved, That Dr. Robert E. Parilla is awarded the Gold Medallion in recognition of his many outstanding contributions to Montgomery College and the community it serves, his leadership in higher education at the local, State, national and international levels, and his exemplary service as the College’s Chief Executive Officer; and be it further
Resolved, That this resolution become a part of the minutes of this Board of Trustees meeting, and a copy be presented to Dr. Robert E. Parilla.
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Board of Trustees
December 21, 1998
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Charlene R. Nunley, Ph.D.
Sixth President of Montgomery College, 1999 -
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Serving as the current president, chief executive officer, and secretary-treasurer to the Board of Trustees of Montgomery College, Dr. Charlene R. Nunley has announced her plans to retire from the College after the Board of Trustees completes a national search and brings a new president on board. To review and read about Dr. Nunley’s remarkable and outstanding service to Montgomery College, the community, and higher education please visit her Web site at www.montgomerycollege.edu/president/presidentsbio.html.
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