A candidate to be the next president of Meridian Community College highlighted his private-sector background during a campus forum Tuesday in McCain Fine Arts Theater.

James “Don” Burnham, vice president of Holmes Community College’s Ridgeland campus, has a masters in business administration and a doctorate of philosophy in higher education. He has an extensive background working in industry, having been employed with Georgia Pacific in Oxford before the plant closed down.

He said his experience in this field, as assistant quality control director, helped prepare him for his future in education. 

“I worked with unions at Georgia Pacific and learned a lot about keeping a plant open by scheduling maintenance and hiring employees,” Burnham said.

Burnham is the third of five finalists to give a presentation and take questions on campus, moderated by Barbara Jones, executive director of the MCC Foundation. With his wife, Carol, he spent the day on campus familiarizing themselves with faculty and buildings before addressing questions from faculty and community leaders.

“Education needs to be acclimated to the industries in our area,” Burnham said.

When the plant closed in 2003 he focused on getting his doctoral degree.

“I wanted to get into a field of helping people,” Burnham said.

During the time he was unemployed and looking for a job to support his family, he applied at Holmes and agreed to a request to take continuing education to qualify as an economics instructor. This taught him what a struggle it is for a student to stay in school and work.

“Being a full time employee and going to school taught me how to organize my time,” Burnham said. 

Burnham said his work in the private sector and education would help in furthering MCC’s vision for the future and that by preparing a trained workforce and helping those further their education academically go hand in hand. He cited the example of Holmes working closely with the Nissan Corporation plant in Canton as an example of the need for both credit and non-credit education.

Being active in the community around you is also an important part of knowing what the employment needs are for that area, he said. He is involved with the Ridgeland Chamber of Commerce, the Rotary Club and other civic minded organizations. He said he would do the same in Meridian and Lauderdale County if hired as MCC president.

Burnham credited Elliott and former President Bill Skaggs with laying the groundwork for MCC’s high ratings among community colleges.

Learning the needs of the community is high on Burnham’s priority list to see what needs to be addressed to further the vision of MCC.

“I would listen to the stakeholders of the college and see what programs are needed in our area,” he said. “This is a community effort. All of that functions as one vision.”

Burnham answered questions at the end of his talk from staff and community members. Topics included early childhood development and he said it is critical for children 0-5 years of age to be brought up to their level by kindergarten.

“Children are not stupid by birth,” he said. “We have to give them the skills set to develop.”

Regarding technical training, Burnham reiterated said, “Technical training is probably the most important thing they will do in the next 10-15 years in this country. We also have to stay as current a we can in technology to keep students current in their field.”

When asked about how he would make employees feel valued and appreciated, he said he likes to go out and get input from everyone from the groundskeeper and housekeeping to faculty educators.

“I believe you have to engage people and let them know you care and encourage them one on one. This means more to them.”

Asked what role he thinks a winning athletics culture makes in recruiting new students, he said, “It should be used to recruit. It is good for students and a winning program brings bragging rights in a community.”

He said he also believes athletes should be involved in the community as well as on the playing field. He cited Holmes’ soccer team members as getting out into the community giving time to various organizations and being visible to the community as one good example of how athletes could contribute.

Burnham said, if hired, he would not be the type leader to come in and make drastic changes and that he believes in getting to know employees first before any changes are initiated or if any need to be. He also addressed the retention rate of students and emphasized the need for faculty to recognize early on if a student is struggling and to communicate and engage them during the first crucial year in college.

Two more forums are planned before a president is hired. Scott Alsobrooks, vice president of Pearl River Community College, will participate in a forum May 22 and Thomas Huebner, outgoing president of East Mississippi Community College, is scheduled for an interview and forum May 30. Both forums will be held in McCain Theatre.