MCC MUHLENBERG COUNTY CAMPUS DIRECTOR GEORGE HUMPHREYS RETIRES

George Humphreys, director of the Muhlenberg County Campus of Madisonville Community College (MCC), is retiring October 1 from the position he assumed in March 2004. According to Humphreys, who followed Harold Morris as the first campus director, it has been a privilege to have served in this position and to have been part of the development of this educational facility. The people of Muhlenberg County made the campus a reality through their fundraising efforts and donations from individuals throughout the county who believed that the higher education presence here would enrich the future of its young people for decades to come.

There were many highlights during his tenure including the Iris Givens gift to fund the School Counts! scholarships for high school graduates, numerous generous gifts to the campus capped by the naming gift from the Shaver family, and doubling of the number of courses taught each semester. Private support and that from the Felix E. Martin, Jr. Foundation have made it possible for the Muhlenberg County Campus to upgrade its technology at a time when public dollars have been tough to come by. The Muhlenberg County Campus is recognized throughout the college as a student-centered campus. He credits the support of MCC President Dr. Judith Rhoads and the MCC leadership team, the campus staff and faculty, and especially the many talented Muhlenberg County retired teachers who taught there for this success.

I hope that this is just a beginning, he says. The strong likelihood that a new health science technology program will mark a new chapter for the campus and will add to the foundation that has been built.

Humphreys counts the expansion of the MCC dual credit program as one of his proudest accomplishments in the region. The Pathways to College Program, says Humphreys, has grown from its modest start when it offered college credit for career and technical education classes offered at four secondary schools to a much more balanced program with hundreds of students also taking basic general education college classes in six high schools in the region served by MCC. Many students who were uncertain about whether they were prepared for college found success in the dual credit program and used it as a springboard for completing their college programs and going on to their chosen careers.

Dr. Humphreys has been a vital part of our work in the entire college service area. His dedication to the advancement of postsecondary education is evident in the growth of our Muhlenberg Campus. It has become an important part of this community and has contributed strongly to the economic development efforts of community leaders. His presence and leadership will be missed, shared MCC Chief Academic Officer Dr. Deborah Cox.

Mr. Humphreys plans to remain in Muhlenberg County. After more than 30 years in Oklahoma where I retired as Legislative Research Director for the Oklahoma House of Representatives, my wife, Rebecca Neathamer who is from Drakesboro, and I planned to retire to the home that her grandparents built. He plans to complete a political history of the western Kentucky region for the University Press of Kentucky. We will also be very busy attending Muhlenberg County High School marching band contests and attending plays in support of grandniece Hope Mohon.