COX, PARRENT, AND VAUGHAN SELECTED FOR INTERIM LEADERSHIP POSITIONS
Dr. Deborah M. Cox has been appointed as Interim President of Madisonville Community College (MCC). Kentucky Community and Technical College (KCTCS) President Dr. Jay Box noted Cox s long tenure with the college and her outstanding leadership history, both at the college and within KCTCS, in making the appointment. Cox has served as the college s Chief Academic Officer since 2004. She holds the Doctor of Education in Higher Education Policy and Evaluation from the University of Kentucky. Cox, of Madisonville, joined the college in 1982 and worked in various student support capacities at both Madisonville Community College and Hazard Community College in Hazard, Kentucky. In August 1993, she joined the faculty of MCC teaching psychology. From August 1998 to December 2000, she served as Interim Dean of Student Affairs. She attained the rank of professor and became the chair of the Division of Social Sciences and Related Technologies in 2001, a position she held until being named Interim Chief Academic Officer in 2004. She has overseen the expansion and enhancement of academic programming at the college, including the creation of state-of-the-art Advanced Integrated Technology and Advanced Integrated Manufacturing programs that prepare students for employment in a modern manufacturing environment, the re-activation of the college's Mining Technology program, and the creation of a new Health Science Technology program scheduled for launch in fall 2016 on the college s Muhlenberg Campus. She also facilitated the faculty-led initiative to align the Practical Nursing and Registered Nursing program competencies to form a single integrated nursing curriculum, creating a career pathway from Certified Nurse Assistant to Registered Nurse. Coursework in this pathway also articulates into the Bachelor of Nursing and Master of Nursing programs at nearby senior institutions. She has encouraged the faculty to expand their use of instructional technology in the classroom and to expand their offerings of online courses. Cox will serve as Interim President through June 30.Dr. Jay Parrent, of Princeton, has been selected to serve as Interim Chief Academic Officer. He has been at the college since 2002 and was serving as the Chief Student Affairs Officer, a position he has held since 2005. Previously, Dr. Parrent was employed at Kentucky Wesleyan College in academic affairs and has taught undergraduate courses in American history and leadership studies. He earned an undergraduate degree in history from Kentucky Wesleyan College, graduate degrees from Murray State University and the University of Louisville, and completed a doctorate in educational leadership from the University of Kentucky. Dr. Parrent recently completed a 5-year stint on the Kentucky Board of Education including service as Vice-Chair of the Board.
Cathy Vaughan, of Madisonville, was selected to serve as Interim Student Affairs Dean. She began her career at MCC in 1990 as an Upward Bound Coordinator. Over the years she has served in various leadership positions such as Cooperative Education/Service Learning Project Coordinator (1992-1998), Continuing Education/ Community Service Program Coordinator (1998-2004), and most recently as Director of Counseling Services (2004-2016). Vaughan holds a Master of Arts in Child Development amp; Family Living and a Bachelor of Arts in Psychology from Western Kentucky University. She holds Clinical Fellow Membership in the American Association for Marriage and Family Therapy.