Dr. Diane K. Troyer, founding president of Lone Star College-CyFair, will resign her position in October to become Senior Program Officer for the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation in Seattle.
The announcement ends 12 years of service to the Lone Star College System that included eight years developing, opening and guiding LSC-CyFair, the youngest of five Lone Star Colleges.
During her tenure, LSC-CyFair grew to more than 12,000 students in credit courses, one of the largest community colleges in Texas.
LSC-CyFair, known as cornerstone of the Cy-Fair community, will celebrate its five-year anniversary in 2008-2009.
“It has been a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to be able to envision the college of the future and to help make that vision come to life,” Dr. Troyer said.
“Because of our exceptional team of faculty, staff and administrators, Lone Star College-CyFair is one of the most innovative, responsive, focused and enriching institutions in the country. As we celebrate our fifth anniversary, the record of achievement by the college has clearly exceeded all expectations,” she noted.
Dr. Troyer will join the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation as a Senior Program Officer in November. There, she will lead community college research on best practices and instructional innovation and planning for the nation-wide implementation of a new community college initiative.
“We are focused on helping to ensure greater opportunity for all Americans through the attainment of secondary and post-secondary education with genuine economic value,” said Hilary Pennington, director of the foundation’s US Special Initiatives. “Diane’s passion for dramatically increasing student completion rates and her deep leadership experience within community colleges make her an invaluable asset to our team and our partners.”
“Dr. Troyer has done an incredible job as president of Lone Star College-CyFair,” notes Dr. Richard Carpenter, chancellor of the Lone Star College System. “She is an extremely well respected leader, both locally and nationally. To be recruited by one of the world’s most prestigious foundations speaks volumes about Diane’s talents and the quality of the employees of Lone Star College. She will be sorely missed.”
“This is not something I ever dreamed would be in my future,” Dr. Troyer explained, “but I believe it is an opportunity to apply my lifetime of community college experience toward a national endeavor with a lasting impact.”
LSC-CyFair Vice President of Administration Dr. Bob Williams will serve as interim president as the college system conducts a national search for a new president. Dr. Williams, too, is a founding member of the LSC-CyFair administrative team.
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