Peninsula College is Brinton Sprague’s kind of school.
“Peninsula College has a strong community presence,” said Sprague, a Port Ludlow resident with more than 40 years in the community college system who will step in as the college’s interim president Feb. 6 after Tom Keegan leaves Feb. 3.
“One of the things that attracted me to this work [in community colleges] is that variety and that presence” that Peninsula College exemplifies, Sprague said.
“Peninsula College has the academics and the workforce training. It has cultural programs,” said Sprague, 70.
He noted that the Port Angeles-based college, which has branches in Forks and Port Townsend, “is positioned in Forks, Sequim, Port Townsend and Port Angeles.
“It has spread higher education in ways that I like and have been a part of, particularly when I worked at Skagit Valley College, which had extended programs,” Sprague said.
Sprague served as vice president at Skagit Valley College, based in Mount Vernon, from 1993 to 1998, and was the college’s dean of the Whidbey Island campus from 1988 to 1993.
He shares connections with Skagit Valley with the outgoing president.
After leading Peninsula College for a decade, Keegan has accepted a position as president of Skagit Valley College, where he earned his associate degree in 1978 before earning a master’s degree in education from Western Washington University and a doctorate in educational leadership and policy studies from the University of Washington.
Keegan will start his new position in March.
Peninsula College Board of Trustees Chairwoman Julie McCulloch and Sprague are negotiating a contract for Sprague to serve as interim president from Feb. 6 through June 30, when a permanent president is expected to take up the reins.
Trustees are expected to approve the contract Jan. 10.
Trustee meetings are generally at 2 p.m. in the Cornaby Center (A-12) on the Peninsula College campus at 1502 E. Lauridsen Blvd.
There is no established salary range for the position, said Micki McNeil, Peninsula College human resources consultant.
Keegan was earning $204,434 as of August at Peninsula College, which has an enrollment of about 8,100.
Sprague has lived in the Puget Sound area since he was stationed at Naval Air Station Whidbey Island in the early 1970s, including Bainbridge Island and Coupeville.
Sprague’s present roles
He is now working as the special assistant to the president at the Lake Washington Institute of Technology in Kirkland, where he is primarily involved accreditation.
He also is teaching at Cascadia Community College in Bothell, where he has deep roots.
He was a founding vice president for Cascadia in 2000.
He retired from that post in 2001 but continued as a senior associate member of the faculty, teaching American and Pacific Northwest history and American foreign relations.
In 2004, he became the interim president of Cascadia, serving until 2005.
Cascadia was not the first community college Sprague had a hand in creating.
“I’ve been around so long, I was a founding member of North Seattle Community College in September, 1970,” he said.
From 1975 to 1988 — when he began as dean at Skagit Valley College — he served as division chair and director of the North Seattle Community College.
A Jefferson County resident for four years, Peninsula College is the school that serves his home area, and which has a close connection to the people and places around him.
“Access has always been a major issue in higher education,” Sprague said.
“The community college effort tries to bring it to people at locations where they live and tries to be very, very responsive to what that particular community needs.”
Interim president duties
The role of interim president is one of keeping already established projects and programs running smoothly until the new president arrives, Sprague said.
Three candidates were interviewed for the transition, all with experience in community college leadership, McCulloch said.
“The board was pleased to have a pool of strong candidates for this interim position, but Sprague’s distinguished background in the Washington State Community and Technical College system make him an ideal leader during this transitional time” McCulloch said.
“We are very pleased and feel Dr. Sprague is a great fit for Peninsula College,” she said.
Sprague received his bachelor’s degree from the University of Washington, a master’s in history from Western Washington University and a doctorate in educational policy studies from the University of Washington.
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Reporter Arwyn Rice can be reached at 360-417-3535 or at arwyn.rice@peninsuladailynews.com.
