Athens, Ga. – William R. Crowe, president of Tyler Junior College in Tyler, Texas, will become director of the Georgia Center for Continuing Education Conference Center and Hotel at the University of Georgia on Oct. 1.
Art Dunning, vice president for public service and outreach, announced today that Crowe has been chosen to succeed Robert Leiter, who will retire Sept. 19.
For the past 13 years, Crowe has served as president of Tyler Junior College, which ranks among the top 50 fastest growing community and junior colleges in the U.S. In the decade prior to becoming president, he held various administrative posts at TJC, including vice president for instruction and student services, dean of business and technology, and dean of liberal arts.
TJC offers more than 100 degree and certificate programs including pre-professional training for health careers such as nursing, surgical technology and respiratory therapy. The college also provides more distance education classes than any college or university in Texas and is the original home of the Virtual College of Texas, a consortium of 50 community colleges that offer distance education opportunities.
TJC enrolls nearly 10,000 full- and part-time students in academic programs and more than 20,000 in continuing education courses every year. The college also hosts more than 100,000 participants in non-college related special events and meetings annually.
“Bill has developed a strong combination of leadership skills during his highly successful career,” Dunning said. “His experience in program development, fiscal oversight and customer service is critical for a leader of a public service unit and the Georgia Center in particular.”
When Crowe first became president of TJC, the college faced a financial crisis. He implemented new financial management practices that transformed the college’s bottom line from yearly deficits to annual surpluses exceeding $1 million. Within seven years, endowed funds also increased from less than $100,000 to more than $30 million and annual giving from less than $50,000 to more than $6.5 million.
As president, Crowe also oversaw extensive building renovations, the addition of new academic programs to meet local employer needs, and the restructuring of the college’s administration to increase efficiency.
He earned both bachelor of business administration and doctorate degrees at the University of Texas at Austin, and a master of business administration degree at the University of Texas at Tyler.
