Proffitt takes reins at VHCC

By MARK SAGE/Staff

It’s a job you have to really want to do, Dr. Ron Proffitt said.
With budget troubles on the horizon and a host of other challenges brewing, being a community college president isn’t for the fainthearted, Proffitt, now just over a week into his tenure at Virginia Highlands Community College, said.
Still, the Tazewell County native who has spent time at community colleges in Wytheville, Richlands and Abingdon, is excited. It’s a job he really wants to do.
Proffitt said he’s extremely happy to be at VHCC, saying the community college has much to offer the region and the community.
Four days into his presidential time, Proffitt said that in four years he’d like to see plenty of growth, with the college offering more programs to residents and more students choosing to begin their post-high school educations at VHCC.
Taking the job on the Abingdon campus was a homecoming of sorts for Proffitt, who most recently served as vice president of instruction and student development at Wytheville Community College. Prior to that, from 2000 to 2007, he served as dean of the math, science and health technology division at Southwest Virginia Community College. From 1975 to 2000 – except for a year between 1992 and 1993 – Proffitt was program director and instructor of radiologic technology at Virginia Highlands. From 1992 to 1993, he worked at Bristol Regional Medical Center.
Proffitt said his experiences across the region have given him contacts and perspective. It’s allowed him to understand the people and the culture, opening doors that will lead to success, he said.
Virginia Highlands is a different place, though, than Southwest Virginia Community College or Wytheville Community College. With Virginia Intermont, King College and Emory & Henry all so nearby, it has to be more competitive in attracting students with so many local choices. The college is aided by an on-campus ally. The Southwest Virginia Higher Education Center, which offers degrees from a handful of Virginia colleges and universities, is a goldmine, Proffitt said. The center, Proffitt said, allows students to start their college careers at VHCC and finish them right there on the same campus.
Proffitt sees the community college’s role expanding beyond higher education, though. It’s also a key factor in economic growth in the community. One of his goals, he said, is to get the message out to local leaders how the college can be and is willing to be an economic engine.
Proffitt predicted that demand for health care training will continue at the school. He also sees a resurgence in occupational training. Earlier he said that skilled trades, such as plumbing, electrical and air conditioning repair, are an important piece of the current work force puzzle, as are the jobs open in health care and the service industry. The diversity of growing areas and missions requires the president, according to Proffitt, to maintain his focus on many different constituents. And in the coming years, he’ll have to do it while facing declining funding. The federal dollars that flowed into community colleges after Congress passed stimulus bills are going away, Proffitt said. Most will disappear by next summer, he said, forcing colleges to be ready to manage budgets if they want to grow and survive. During the tough times coming, Proffitt said his personal goal is to ensure that the college is the best place possible for students to learn and grow.
Keeping the balls in the air, he said, is a learned skill, one that requires discipline, focus and commitment. It takes lots of hard work, he said, and promises, when you see the community, teachers and students succeeding, lots of rewards.
Proffitt replaced former President David Wilkin who retired June 30. A graduate of Tazewell High School, Proffitt earned a bachelor’s degree from Bluefield State, a master’s degree from Virginia Tech, a doctorate from East Tennessee State University and a diploma in radiography from Holston Valley Community Hospital.
Contact Mark Sage at 228-6611 or jsage@wythenews.com.