
Kim Dale
College President
Western Wyoming Community College
Rock Springs, WY USA
“Don't forget to advocate for yourself.”
Western Wyoming Community College
Rock Springs, WY USA
“Don't forget to advocate for yourself.”
College President
I am the chief executive of a rural community college. I help improve the lives of our students and communities.
Meetings with direct reports, meetings with college teams, meetings with business and industry professionals, meetings with other community college presidents, meetings with the Wyoming Community College Commission, meetings with the President of the Board of Trustees, meetings with students, emails, Zoom. My job requires me to be interacting with people about 90% of most days.
Here's the first step for high school students
College administrator roles have three basic defined career pathways: administration / finance, academic affairs or student services. Where does your passion lie? I went the academic affairs route, which means you start as a college teacher and move into academic administration, a.k.a. a college dean and / or chief academic officer. It is critical to decide which pathway you wish to take, because this will determine the degrees you need to acquire. A PhD is required for most college presidencies.
"Teachers don't make any money and are undervalued. Why do you have to spend all that time and money going back to school? Is it really worth it to get all those degrees?"