When MCCC President Jerry Welch announced he would be retiring at the end of the 1999-2000 academic year, the search for a new president began in earnest.
The desire to first work from within was noted, as was the process of selection — including compliance with the Open Meetings Act to allow for public forums and limiting the need for closed sessions. Several guests in attendance at the Feb. 23, 2000, special study board meeting offered their thoughts on how the search should be conducted and what candidates should be considered.
Eventually, two internal candidates submitted applications for consideration — Audrey Warrick, MCCC vice-president of instruction and William Guerriero, MCCC dean of business — were received. A vote to interview both candidates passed, and the interviews would be held on Wednesday, April 12, 2000, beginning at 5 p.m. Four MCCC employee groups and a student group would be permitted to ask each candidate questions for 10 minutes, and each candidate would make their own separate opening and closing remarks. A special board meeting was scheduled for the next day to decide next steps in the hiring process.
As the April 13 special meeting began, MCCC board member William J. Bacarella Jr. acknowledged each candidate’s interviewing skills and professionalism. Both candidates pledged to invest in MCCC’s human capital and promote open dialogue at the student and employee levels. After all of the deliberations took place, the recommendation to install Warrick as MCCC’s third president received a unanimous vote and a standing ovation for Warrick.
Raised in Orrville, Ohio, Warrick attended Capital University in Columbus as a music major (piano and voice). After graduation, she taught in the Columbus Public Schools for two years, and then moved to the Toledo area. There, Warrick taught junior high music in the Sylvania Schools for three years. Then, having received a scholarship, Warrick attended the University of Toledo for a year and earned her master’s degree in counseling.
In the mid-1960s, school counseling was still a male-dominated field, as counselors were considered administrators and held most of the key leadership positions. However, Warrick wished to pursue her job search in the Toledo/Detroit metro area and received a tip from a professor about a counseling opening at the new community college that was starting in Monroe. Warrick applied and stayed in the counseling position for 10 years.
During that early period, Warrick and the MCCC registrar worked with the universities creating guidelines for MCCC students to transfer credits toward a bachelor’s degree. In Michigan, community colleges were created to offer both liberal arts and occupational training.
Warrick then began to take on new challenges at MCCC. She loved working at the college and decided to try something new. Warrick applied for and got an administrative job in continuing education. After a few years, she became division chair for humanities and social science and then dean of student services. She was the dean of instruction before accepting the MCCC presidency.
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As 2003 began, Audrey Warrick indicated her intention to retire as MCCC’s third president. When Warrick originally interviewed, she was asked how long she would anticipate staying in that role. She answered three to five years, as her husband had had two surgeries and his health was a consideration. Later in June, Warrick would announce her retirement after 36 years of service to MCCC. She would be lauded for her outreach to business and industry; the addition of nine computer science programs during her tenure; the facilitation of open access for students; and for securing $6 million from the State of Michigan to build the Instructional Center for Business Training and Performing Arts.
— Tom Adamich is president of Visiting Librarian Service, a firm he has operated since 1993. He also is project archivist for the Greening Nursery Co. and Family Archives and the electric vehicle awareness coordinator at Monroe County Community College.
This article originally appeared on The Monroe News: Audrey Warrick served MCCC for 36 years