Dassance leads Colorado Mountain College in meeting students’, communities’ needs

Former Florida college president started as interim CMC president Feb. 18

130304 FP CW Charles Dassance
Dr. Charles “Chick” Dassance is the new interim president for Colorado Mountain College.

In his first two weeks as interim president of Colorado Mountain College, Dr. Charles “Chick” Dassance has hit the ground at a gallop.

He is learning quickly about the college, its students and employees, and the communities it serves. He’s been meeting with as many people as he can, reading reports and budgets and documents of every stripe.

“The role of an interim president, in general, is to prepare the college for its next CEO,” he said. “My role is not to restructure the college but to bring stability to college operations. This does not imply that we should not address issues that need to be addressed, nor that we should stop innovating and improving.”

As a former president of two community colleges, Dassance knows something about bringing stability to institutions while continuing to pursue innovation. In 1996 he was hired as president of what was then known as Central Florida Community College, in Ocala, Fla. Over the next 15 years he led the college’s transformation into prominence and record enrollment.

Among the initiatives he oversaw there was the introduction of bachelor’s degrees, something Colorado Mountain College introduced last year. After Dassance retired in 2011 from the renamed College of Central Florida, he was honored with the title of president emeritus.

‘Put the community in community college’

Dassance was known in Ocala for saving the Appleton Museum of Art, which was brought under the auspices of the college, as well as for his community involvement and commitment to providing workforce opportunities.

“He put the community in community college,” said Frank Rasbury, a former College of Central Florida trustee, in an article about Dassance on Ocala.com.

Active in community affairs, Dassance has served in numerous capacities supporting economic development, public policy and health issues. He has been a recipient of many awards and distinctions, including the Distinguished Service Award from the Florida Association of Colleges and Universities, and the President’s Award for Professional Excellence from the Florida Association of Community Colleges.

Dassance previously served community colleges in New York, Maryland, Virginia and Kentucky, in addition to Florida. He holds a bachelor’s degree in biology from Grove City College, a Master of Arts from Michigan State University and a Ph.D. in higher education administration from the University of Virginia.

Main focus: ‘helping students learn’

“I have been impressed with the many fine programs and services at CMC,” said Dassance. “I know this transition period can be unsettling but I am also confident that the most important work we do – helping students learn – continues to be the main focus of our faculty and staff.”

Dassance will oversee the 11-location community college in north-central Colorado while CMC’s elected board of trustees seeks and appoints a president for the permanent position. “The board of trustees clearly wants CMC to be a college that will be a source of pride for the citizens of our service area, and I look forward to working with the board on finding the right leader for the college’s future,” Dassance said.

The role of president became available in December upon the resignation of Dr. Stan Jensen. During the interim period, the college’s trustees will conduct a nationwide search for a long-term candidate. Details of how the search will be conducted will be determined over the next several months.

Before CMC’s board of trustees voted unanimously to appoint Dassance, trustee Pat Chlouber of Lake County said, “Dr. Dassance seems to understand and can fulfill the mission we have in mind for the next few months, and we’re confident he’ll work well with our communities and add strength to our staff.”