College of DuPage president finalist talks about preparing students for the future
A finalist for the College of DuPage president position says the school has “the power and the opportunity to help shape the region's future.”
And Johnny Moore is hoping to be the leader who will help the Glen Ellyn-based school build on its “legacy of innovation.”
“I envision the College of DuPage becoming one of the premier comprehensive community colleges in the entire nation that help change the narrative as to how we define what a community college is and will be in the 21st century,” Moore said Monday during the first of three public forums with the candidates seeking to become COD's next president.
“This is critical because DuPage County of tomorrow will look and act differently from DuPage County of today,” said Moore, president of Pierpont Community & Technical College in Fairmont, West Virginia.
Moore, 52, of Morgantown, West Virginia, is one of three finalists recommended by a 16-member search committee to replace Ann Rondeau, who left COD on Dec. 31 to become president of the Naval Postgraduate School in Monterey, California.
The two other candidates being considered by COD trustees are Brian Caputo, interim president of COD, and Ken Trzaska, president of Seward County Community College in Liberal, Kansas.
Before responding to a list of questions during Monday's hourlong forum, Moore talked about the role community colleges play.
With technology changing the way we work, Moore said part of COD's role will be to prepare students for careers in “cutting-edge” fields, including energy, health sciences and advance manufacturing.
For example, he said, nearly half of all jobs in Illinois will require “middle skills” by 2020. Middle skill jobs require more than a high school diploma but less than a bachelor's degree.
“What all of this means is that the College of DuPage's role is more critical to the future than ever before,” Moore said.
He said community colleges are powering the workforce of today and tomorrow. As new categories of jobs emerge, he said COD must ensure its students are equipped with the skills “required for the new world of work.”
Moore has been the president of Pierpont Community & Technical College since 2016. In that position, he has “progressively and collaboratively increased the college's partnerships with industry and other educational institutions to ensure that Pierpont students are provided with the best pathways to success,” according to his bio.
He has 29 years of experience in higher education, including 27 years at two-year community colleges across the country. He previously served as an executive vice president for student services at Tyler Junior College in Texas and a vice president of student affairs at Indian River State College in Florida.
COD's two remaining public forums are scheduled for 4 p.m. Tuesday and Wednesday in the Student Services Center on the school's Glen Ellyn campus, 425 Fawell Blvd. Caputo will appear Tuesday, while Trzaska will appear on Wednesday.