Cowley College president Dr. Dennis C. Rittle was recently appointed as President to the Council of Presidents for the Kansas Community Colleges, according to a press release from Cowley College.
This appointment is for the Academic year of 2020-2021 and is set to begin in July 2020.
As president of the Council of Presidents, Rittle will chair a variety of meetings, including a monthly meeting with the System Council of Presidents, which includes the state’s university presidents, through the Kansas Board of Regents. He will also report at the monthly Kansas Board of Regents meetings as well as the Technical Education Authority monthly meetings.
Rittle
“I am profoundly humbled by the confidence that my fellow presidents have placed in my abilities and work ethic to serve the interests of the community colleges, which is to advance student success, workforce readiness, and community engagement,” Rittle said in the news release. “During these very challenging times, I am overjoyed to have the opportunity to be part of the solution, namely, improving the lives of our students and the betterment of our communities.”
Rittle officially became the fifth president of Cowley College on July 1, 2015.
He continued his pursuit of higher education, culminating in a Ph.D. in Organizational Leadership at the esteemed Regent University.
“Dr. Rittle is a highly-respected presenter in local, national, and international settings to include being a guest presenter in Oxford, UK, and Harvard,” the release stated. “He is also an accomplished researcher, to include more than a dozen scholarly publications.”
Cowley College said Rittle began serving in higher education in 1995 and has provided leadership for government, for-profit, and public educational sectors.
Fort Scott Community College president Alysia Johnston will serve as vice president to the Council of Presidents, and Hutchinson Community College president Carter File was appointed secretary. Rittle will also work with Heather Morgan, Executive Director of the Kansas Association of Community Colleges.
“I look forward to working alongside Dr. Rittle and the other Council of Presidents leadership as we advocate for Kansas community college students and policies which best serve their interest in the next year,” Morgan said.
