MCC - Penn Valley starts the 2007-2008 school year with a new dean on campus. Thomas Walker has been hired to fill the position of the Dean of Administrative Services.
Walker recently moved to Kansas City from North Carolina, where he was Dean of Student Services and Enrollment Management at Davidson County Community College for 3 years in Lexington, North Carolina. Penn Valley will be Walker’s fifth community college.
A self-described adventurer, Walker loves connecting with people and is thrilled to be a part of the Penn Valley Community. He has come to the campus with big ideas, and a desire to produce positive change.
"I would like to have an active role and play a part as a leader in forging some ties and partnerships with our school districts and community agencies, mainly to help student performance and preparedness," he says.
 Thomas Walker |
"We're going to have to create some avenues either through the Summer Bridge Program, or community-based learning centers, where students can work on those skills."
Walker has similar ideas for helping current students with their college experience. "I also want to increase our support efforts for students once they get here," he says, "whether it be increasing tutoring, more access to labs and computers, or more opportunities to spend time with faculty outside of the classroom," Walker said.
"There are small things that make students successful outside of the classroom, whether that be access to computers in the labs, or quality and price of the food that they pay for... I concentrate on those little things, because the faculty can handle the rest in terms of what’s happening inside the classroom," Walker said.
Walker also wants to improve the PV gymnasium. Pleased that we already have great basketball teams, Walker has further ambitions: "I would really like to do whatever is necessary, ethically and legally, to push us to the point of winning [a] national title," explained Walker.
The only difficult task he sees ahead of him is finding the finances to accomplish his goals, but he is very passionate, and seems confident.
Yet no student need worry about approaching Walker, who considers himself a very calm and unintimidating individual. His top priority at Penn Valley is to make sure there is plenty of interaction between him and students.
In his short time here, Walker has come to love Kansas City. "It is like a small town in terms of values but [has] all of the offerings of a metropolitan that you would want." After many previous moves, he believes Kansas City's a good stopping place, and plans to stay as long as Penn Valley allows him.
What's his favorite Kansas City pleasure? "That’s hard to say. I love the music scene, the food is great, lots of restaurants, BBQ, and I’m an avid fisherman. There are a lot of opportunities if not in the Kansas City area, then around the Kansas City area, for fishing, and the people are friendly."
What's his favorite part of Penn Valley? "The students are the best part of being here, and that is always where I get my enjoyment," Walker said.
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