Photo by Paula Merritt / The Meridian StarThomas Huebner, one of five candidates for the presidency of Meridian Community College, speaks during a forum at the school Wednesday. 

Thomas Huebner, the final candidate in the search for Meridian Community College’s new president, spoke about his affinity for Lauderdale County and the value of partnerships during a forum Wednesday at the college.

Huebner, who is serving as president of East Mississippi Community College in Scooba until June 30, has worked at William Carey College and Shelton State Community College in Tuscaloosa, Alabama.

Huebner resigned at EMCC in order to focus his efforts toward the MCC position and allow the board at EMCC to start the replacement process. He is the fifth and final candidate with four others having held forums beginning in April and running through this month. The post is being vacated by long time President Scott Elliott, who is retiring.

“Shelton State exposed me to community college life and I realized I absolutely loved it,” Huebner said.

He explained that he was not really looking for another job while at EMCC but was approached by members of MCC’s board of trustees to join in the candidate process.

“I had not submitted an application, but when I did I focused my attention on MCC,” he said. It was for that reason that he went on and resigned from EMCC. He said both he and wife discussed the decision and he felt it would be fairer to the board at EMCC to let it start its search for a new president.

“I was stepping out on faith,” he said. “We prayed and felt it was the right thing to do. I am excited about this county and this community,” he said.

When asked what it is about MCC that appeals to him, he said, “On a personal level, it’s where my kids are in school and my wife grew up in Wayne County, which Meridian was the place you came to town to shop and we have always felt comfortable in Meridian.”

Huebner said the idea of serving one community rather than six is appealing as well. “The retention rate here is unparalleled,” he said.

He said addressing workforce needs is a priority for the school and community.

“The needs of the community have to be assessed and everyone needs to be at the table listening and finding ways to get resources and looking for ways to say, ‘Yes.’

He gave the example of the Mercedes plant located near Tuscaloosa and what Shelton State tried to do when they were in the process of locating their automotive plant there.

“We had to figure out a way to make their needs happen to where students became transitioned employees to Mercedes,” he said. This resulted in Mercedes’ CEO taking note that Shelton State officials had taken the time to listen.

Huebner said both credited and non-credited courses are equally important. “You can’t neglect one for the other,” he said.

If hired to lead MCC, Huebner said he would listen aggressively to people asking what is working and what is not. When asked what sets him apart from the other four candidates, he said, “Having the experience to make the hard decisions and having to learn the process of listening to people. There is a learning curve there.”

Meridian Mayor Percy Bland asked Huebner how he would move the college and the community forward.

“Enrollment is tied to population,” Huebner said. “We have a unique opportunity to have continued cooperation with MSU-Meridian and building a partnership with them is important.”

He said another way to advance the community is for programs to be looked at involving aviation, logistics and expanded healthcare fields.

“The market is there for that to elevate the work readiness of the community,” he said.

Speaking about retention rates, Huebner said it is important not to let students, “fall through the cracks.” He said he believes orientation is important and teachers checking on students is vital for retention.

“We need to make it impossible for students to withdraw without talking to a teacher,” he said. He said a student could have a simple problem that seems big to them but could be solved by talking to a teacher or possibly a financial aid counselor.

Huebner said he believes in being an active part of the community and he and his family enjoy attending church and participating in civic organizations.

“I like to stay engaged in the community reminding people of who we are and what we do,” he said. He also addressed such issues as retirees working at the college, adult education, athletics and teamwork.

He assured the audience that just because MCC trustees had approached him to apply for the position of president, not to take that as meaning he would get the job.

“I didn’t have feelers out,” he said. “Since I got to EMCC, I have built positive relationships with people in the community. There’s been no promise of me being president.”

Huebner holds a bachelor’s degree from Southwest Baptist University in Kansas, a master’s degree from the University of Georgia and a doctorate from the University of Southern Mississippi. 

Previous forums were held for candidates Paul Miller, vice president at East Mississippi Community College; Ted Lewis, vice president at Pellissippi State College, Tennessee; James D. (Don) Burnham, vice president at Holmes Community College; and Scott Alsobrooks, vice president at Pearl River Community College.

The board of trustees will review each candidate and an announcement will be given when they’ve made their decision, said Barbara Jones, executive director of the MCC Foundation.