The Washtenaw Community College Board of Trustees voted unanimously to give President Rose B. Bellanca a one-year extension on her three-year contract at its June 25 meeting. Her contract will now expire in 2016.
This action by the Board underscores its confidence in President Bellanca’s leadership and support for her student-centered vision and efforts to increase successful partnerships with area K-12 districts and local employers.
"Dr. Bellanca has made remarkable progress since she was named President of WCC in 2011," said Board Chair Anne Williams. "Not only has she led the development of the first strategic plan for the college in 14 years, but under her leadership, WCC has been successful in identifying and securing new funding such as the $2.9 million grant from the U.S. Department of Labor’s Trade Adjustment Assistance Community College and Career Training Initiative. We believe she is the right person to lead us into the future."
Trustee Pam Horiszny concurs with Williams. "President Bellanca has worked hard on so many fronts," she said. "Look at the profile developed for the presidential search in 2011 and you will see that we are making incredible progress on all of those initiatives."
"We are working in a time of incredible change," adds Trustee Patrick McLean. "We have seen real successes over the last two years, and we are headed in the direction we need to go."
In addition to her responsibilities as WCC president, Bellanca is Chair of the Workforce/Talent subcommittee for Ann Arbor SPARK’s Business Development Committee. She also serves on the boards of the Ann Arbor Area Foundation and the Community Colleges for International Development.
"We wanted someone who could focus on external partnerships and President Bellanca has really delivered," said Trustee Mark Freeman.
"I am immensely honored to have received a contract extension from our Board of Trustees, and I am very excited about the possibilities for WCC going forward," said Bellanca. "This college is a vibrant institution with remarkable people, beautiful facilities, and tremendous opportunities to make a real difference in our region and our state. I couldn’t be more pleased."