PORT ANGELES — Departing Peninsula College President Tom Keegan, who oversaw massive upgrades for the college during the last decade, is keeping his attention on being here, not on his impending move.
Skagit Valley College still has a solid president in place, and Peninsula College — which is based in Port Angeles with branches in Port Townsend and Forks — still needs all of his attention, Keegan said.
Keegan, who has been Peninsula College’s president for 10 years, was selected as the new president of Skagit Valley College on Oct. 12 and will begin his new job March 12.
Keegan’s final day at Peninsula College will be Friday, Feb. 3.
Keegan, 53, said he has done little toward his move to Mount Vernon, keeping his concentration on helping the college’s board of directors select an interim president and his eventual permanent replacement.
He hasn’t even put his house on the market yet.
“I’m not there yet,” Keegan said.
“I’m waiting until after the holidays.”
Keegan will replace outgoing President Gary Tollefson at the college, a two-year community college about one hour north of Seattle that has an enrollment of about 23,000.
Tollefson was earning $161,360 annually in 2010 according to the state Office of Financial Managment.
Keegan was earning $204,434 in August at Peninsula College, which has an enrollment of about 8,100.
Keegan will earn a negotiated salary of $200,000 at Skagit Valley, said Sue Williams, Skagit Valley College executive director of human resources.
Keegan said his family is excited about the move, including his two sons, age 21 and 18.
Both of his sons are in college themselves — the younger as a high school senior enrolled full time in Peninsula College’s Running Start, a program where high school students attend college classes for high school credit.
Keegan received his associate of arts degree in 1978 from Skagit Valley College, where he was the lead scorer and captain of the college’s championship team before going on to earn a bachelor’s degree in psychology from the University of Puget Sound, a master’s degree in education from Western Washington University and a doctorate in educational leadership and policy studies from the University of Washington.
Although he is happy at Peninsula College, he said, he couldn’t pass up the opportunity to return to where he started.
“It’s a new story to write,” Keegan said.
He led Peninsula College through an unprecedented decade of growth with new campus buildings and facilities in Port Angeles as well as larger classroom satellites in Port Townsend and Forks.
He said, though, that he was most proud of changes that aren’t as immediately visible.
“It was creating a culture with a focus on teaching and learning,” Keegan said.
“It’s about how the college community goes about its day-to-day work.”
The Port Angeles campus itself is greatly transformed from the one he inherited 10 years ago.
Everything was based on a master plan designed in 2001.
Since then, the college has replaced many of the buildings on campus, including the library and the student services center.
The Peninsula College Longhouse House of Learning was opened on Oct. 15, 2007 in conjunction with North Olympic Peninsula tribes.
A new playing surface was added to the playing field, and the fine arts center Maier Hall was recently completed.
Keegan’s plan for the campus academic culture and the buildings went hand in hand, as instructors such as David Jones and Lara Starcevich were hired to get the arts program off the ground before Maier Hall was even constructed.
The programs were in place early so that the hall was immediately put to full use, instead of sitting empty until programs were established, he said.
Of all the projects, the House of Learning Longhouse stands out.
“The opening of the Longhouse date is etched into my mind,” Keegan said.
“I saw six tribes, local community, faculty, staff and students, all come together in the spirit of sharing,” he said.
The Longhouse is part of the college culture, he said, one that allows tribal youth to feel like they belong on the Peninsula College campus, he said.
Prior to coming to Peninsula College, Keegan was president of instruction and student services at Columbia Basin College and the vice president for student success at South Puget Sound Community College.
Keegan will leave the Peninsula College campus with a plan for the next few steps, including improvements to Forks and Port Townsend campuses.
The next major project will be a health and child care building, expected to be built in 2017 —if all falls into place.
The process may be slowed by the economy and state budget, but it is on the state’s approved list of projects.
“In the end, I want to leave the college better than when I started,” Keegan said.
“I think that’s where we are.”
Prior to his work at Peninsula, Keegan held academic and student services leadership positions at Columbia Basin College as the vice president for instruction and student services and was the vice president for student success at South Puget Sound Community College.
________
Reporter Arwyn Rice can be reached at 360-417-3535 or at arwyn.rice@peninsuladailynews.com.
