After more than a decade at the helm of one of the largest community college systems in the nation, City Colleges of Chicago Chancellor Wayne D. Watson announced recently that he would be retiring at the end of the 2008-2009 academic year.
After more than a decade at the helm of one of the largest community college systems in the nation, City Colleges of Chicago Chancellor Wayne D. Watson announced recently that he would be retiring at the end of the 2008-2009 academic year.
Watson was first appointed to the post in March 1998.
Members of the CCC Board of Trustees praised the work Watson has done throughout his tenure.
“The City Colleges of Chicago has moved forward immensely under Chancellor Watson’s leadership,” said Trustee James C. Tyree.
Watson oversees a budget in excess of $476 million; 115,000 students annually and 5,700 full and part-time employees.
“Chancellor Watson has demonstrated great vision and has raised the standards by executing programs of high quality for the City Colleges and the communities we serve,” Perry Buckley, president of the Cook County College Teachers Union, said in a written statement.
Watson has been a part of the CCC since 1978, starting out at Malcolm X College and rising within the system. He served as president of two CCC schools: Harold Washington College (interim, 1994-1993) and Kennedy King (1994-1998).
“I have been blessed to work in an environment of participatory governance with faculty and presidents of outstanding talent who share my passion for excellence and diversity in education,” Watson said in a written statement.
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