Montague recommended as next Vol State president

Dr. Orinthia T. Montague has been recommended to the Tennessee Board of Regents as the next president of Volunteer State Community College after a months-long search that included multiple interviews, campus visits and community meetings.

The board will consider the appointment during a special-called meeting on July 27, officials announced.

“I’m delighted to recommend Dr. Montague to the Board of Regents,” Tennessee Board of Regents Chancellor Dr. Flora W. Tydings said. “We are fortunate to have had an excellent pool of candidates and three outstanding finalists, each of whom could well serve the Vol State community as its next president.

"I believe that Dr. Montague was particularly well received during the campus forums and that her broad range of college leadership experience and work with students and her vision will help her lead Vol State to even higher levels in serving its students and its communities.”

Montague was among three finalists selected by a search advisory committee earlier this summer. 

If approved by the board, Montague would be the fourth person to lead Vol State in its 50-year history.

Jerry Faulkner announced his retirement earlier this year and will be leaving the school Aug. 31 after more than nine years of service. He took over for Warren Nichols in 2001. 

Hal Ramer was the founding president of the college and retired in 2003.

Montague has been president of Tompkins Cortland Community College in Dryden, New York, since 2017. The public community college, which also has extension sites in Cortland and Ithaca, New York, is part of the State University of New York (SUNY) System.

She previously served as vice president of student affairs and chief diversity officer, and dean of students, at Normandale Community College in Bloomington, Minn. Earlier, she held a number of positions at the University of Missouri – St. Louis, including associate vice provost and dean of students.

As president of Tompkins Cortland Community College, Montague's accomplishments include reversing a decade-long enrollment decline, establishing new community partnerships, leading the construction of a new childcare center, helping secure over $3 million in philanthropic donations, developing improved communications initiatives with campus constituencies, and serving on the Governor’s New York Re-opening Advisory Task Force.

She earned her Ph.D in higher education administration at the University of Missouri - St. Louis, her Master of Arts degree in counseling at Lindenwood College and her Bachelor of Arts in interpersonal communication at Truman State University.

Her complete resume´, a recording of the June 23 public forum on campus and other information about the search are available on the TBR website at www.tbr.edu/hr/executivesearches/president-volunteer-state-community-college. 

Community News Editor Nicole Young can be reached at nyoung@tennessean.com or 615-306-3570. Katie Nixon can be reached at knixon@gannett.com or (615) 517-1285.