Dr. Jean Runyon: PVCC and the Bright Future it has Ahead
PVCC’s sixth and latest president, Dr. Jean Runyon, is bringing more than 25 years of previous education experience to PVCC and shared her enthusiasm about her arrival in an interview. This is not Runyon’s first time serving at a community college; her passion for higher education itself was communicated when she said, “Community college is more than just about access, it’s about access, opportunity, and success.”
Runyon began her teaching career in Southern Maryland as a high school business education teacher. After teaching high school education for five years, she became an adjunct at the Community College of Southern Maryland. Following 22 years of working there, she went on to serve as the associate vice president at Anne Arundel Community College. During the last seven years before coming to PVCC, Runyon served as vice president of Front Range Community College in Colorado.
During the interview, she said that taking on the position of PVCC President involves working together with students, faculty, and the rest of the community to make the best decisions for the college. “The position is about passion and an opportunity to be a part of the community,” Runyon said. With the college just passing its 50th anniversary, Runyon describes this as a time to both reflect and celebrate the past accomplishments the university has made while looking forward to the great new things to come.
Runyon has already taken the initiative to start planning a prosperous future for PVCC and all who attend. She has begun the development of the strategic plan for 2024-2027 to create a revived experience for future students. She went on a series of discovery tours designed to help her learn about and engage with the surrounding community. This helped her get an idea of how to move PVCC forward in the best way possible.
To hear more, she will be reflecting on her experience with the discovery tours and discussing some common themes that came up during a town hall meeting that will be accessible through Zoom on Oct. 31 from 10 -11 a.m.
