The Kellogg Community College Board of Trustees today voted to appoint Dr. Paul R. Watson II as the College’s seventh president.
“Dr. Watson has successfully led KCC as interim president during a period of transition over the past nine months and the Board looks forward to working with him in the role of president,” said Board Chair Steve Claywell. “We are eager to embrace the next chapter of KCC’s story and continue fulfilling our institutional mission to our students, staff, community and stakeholders with Dr. Watson at the helm.”
Watson said he is humbled and enthusiastic as he assumes the responsibilities as KCC’s president, the seventh person to do so in the College’s 66-year history.
“In partnership with all constituents – the Board of Trustees, faculty, administrators, staff, community members, employers and students – I am eager to lead this institution as we provide all students with excellent instruction, accessible pathways to rewarding careers and opportunities to successfully transfer to other institutions,” Watson said.
Watson had been serving as interim president since April 2022 after Dr. Adrien L. Bennings, KCC’s sixth president, announced she had accepted a position as president of Portland Community College in Portland, Oregon.
Watson joined the College as the Vice President of Instruction in January 2019. Watson has 20 years of teaching experience at the secondary and post-secondary levels, plus 10 years of experience as an administrative leader in higher education. He was at Pennsylvania College of Technology from 2011 to 2018 as a director, assistant dean and dean. Prior to that, he was a high school math teacher in Jefferson, New York, and an assistant professor of mathematics at Houghton College in Houghton, New York.
Watson serves as a Higher Learning Commission Peer Reviewer (Peer Corps), as Vice President of the Council of Accreditation for Two-Year Colleges, and on the Executive Board of Voces as well as other community task forces and committees. Watson holds an Ed.D. in Educational Leadership & Management from Drexel University, an M.S. in Teaching & Curriculum from the University of Rochester, an M.S. in Mathematics Education from Syracuse University, and a B.A. in Mathematics from Houghton College. He is a certified Labor Relations Leader and has earned a certificate in Organizational Inclusion & Diversity.
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