Tatro, Miesner work together at FSCC during transition

Thursday, May 17, 2007

Fort Scott Community College welcomed new president Clayton Tatro to his first day on the job Monday. Tatro toured the campus with outgoing president Jim Miesner, who is retiring in June.

Tatro comes to Fort Scott from Garden City, where he most recently served as dean of Learning Services and chief academic officer at Garden City Community College. His responsibilities there included strategic planning, budgeting, staffing and evaluation of faculty development, course scheduling, instructional evaluation, and assessment of student outcomes.

On a statewide basis, Tatro has served in the Kansas Council of Instructional Administrators since 1998, and also served as president of that organization. He has also served in the System Council of Chief Academic Officers, which he now co-chairs along with four other Kansas higher education initiatives.

Tatro brings 10 years of college administrative experience to FSCC.

"He is well respected at both the community college level and the state of Kansas where he serves on a number of educational committees," FSCC Board of Trustees President Eric Ammons said.

Tatro is familiar with the Fort Scott area, because he and his wife are both graduates of Pittsburg State University.

"We enjoyed Southeast Kansas in the early to mid 1990s," Tatro said. "We love the location, geography, and relationships that we built here and are glad to be back."

Tatro said he is enthusiastic about continuing to build on the strong relationship that the community and FSCC share. He also looks forward to being visible across the campus and the community.

"We need to look at the needs of the community and start filling them," Tatro said.

Tatro was a member of the Garden City Kiwanis Club, a member of the Big Brothers-Big Sisters of Finney County board, an evaluator for the USD 457 Crystal Apple Awards Program, and a March of Dimes volunteer.

"I am excited for the opportunity to lead Fort Scott Community College into the future," he said. "My family and I look forward to making Fort Scott and Southeast Kansas our home, hopefully for many years to come. FSCC has a rich history and a strong tradition of serving the community and the region. Working together, we can facilitate the college's mission and continually enhance the college's programs and services."

Tatro and his wife, Melissa, have two sons, Garrett and Ethan.