The Montcalm Community College Board of Trustees inaugurated Robert C. Ferrentino, J.D., as the college’s fifth president during a celebration Nov. 6 at the college.
“I am honored and humbled to have been selected as MCC’s fifth president and I gratefully accept the office,” Ferrentino said during his inauguration address to nearly 300 attendees. “My promise to all of you is that I will carry out the duties of the Presidency with enthusiasm and an abiding commitment to the continued success of Montcalm Community College.”
During his address, Ferrentino celebrated the college’s past by acknowledging its accomplishments and recognizing its former presidents. He also laid out plans for the college’s future.
He discussed his vision of expanding collaborations with the college’s community partners, advancing the college’s efforts for continuous quality improvement and being accountable for its results.
“We will be true to our mission by creating a learning community that results in shared economic, cultural and social prosperity for all our citizens,” Ferrentino said. “We will remain committed to providing open access and fostering success for all our learners, and we will work together with our community stakeholders to advance these philosophies.
“We must strategically focus our work to serve our constituents most effectively,” Ferrentino said. “We have to find ways to expand collaborations with our community partners and work together for the betterment of all.”
Ferrentino said the philosophy of continuous quality improvement has been advanced throughout the college.
“Our necessary next step is to further embed CQI principles in all our work. We need to remember this as we move forward with new student success initiatives, collaborations such as our wind and solar power partnerships, and our pledge to increase our campus sustainability program,” he said. “
The first two ideas lead to the inevitable mandate that the college stand accountable for its results.
“This is nothing to shy away from since we already do a good job of assessing our campus performance indicators,” Ferrentino said. “Being good stewards of public resources demands we chart our future course by using accurate data to make informed decisions. To whom much is given, much is expected.
“It will take our collective will and commitment to make our future what we want it to be. I look forward to creating that future together and I hope you do as well,” Ferrentino said. “Together, anything is possible.”
During the ceremony, MCC Board of Trustees Chairperson Karen Carbonelli presented Ferrentino the college’s presidential medallion. The medallion is a formal symbol of the Office of President at the college. It features the MCC seal. The images on the seal reflect the area’s agricultural, industrial and educational heritage.
“Montcalm Community College has installed a President on only four previous occasions, a fact that attests not only to our relative youth as an educational institution but also to the depth of commitment to the college each of our leaders has demonstrated. All have been individuals of exceptional energy, clear vision and determination. Today, we formally welcome to this distinguished company a man of similar qualities,” Carbonelli said.
Ferrentino joined MCC on July 1, 2009, as the institution’s fifth president. He succeeds Donald C. Burns, who served as the college’s president for the last 25 years.
Ferrentino has more than 25 years of community college experience. He most recently served Muskegon Community College for 13 years, where he was Vice President for Academic Affairs from 2004 to 2009 and Dean of Occupational Programs from 1996 to 2003.
From 1980 to 1996, Ferrentino was employed with Lansing Community College. He served as Director of Marketing Services from 1993 to 1996, as an Instructor and Program Director from 1988 to 1993 and as an Adjunct Instructor from 1980 to 1988. Prior to his career in higher education, he also practiced law, worked at Ford Motor Company and served as Director of Marketing with American Collegiate Marketing Inc. in Lansing.
In 1984, Ferrentino earned his Juris Doctor from the Thomas M. Cooley Law School in Lansing. He earned a master’s degree in Business Administration from Northern Illinois University in DeKalb, Ill., in 1977 and a bachelor’s degree in Marketing from Northern Illinois University in 1976. He has also completed advanced management training through the Academic Leadership Program at Cornell University and he completed The League for Innovation in Community Colleges’ Executive Leadership Institute training for aspiring presidents. Ferrentino has participated in several community leadership development training programs and he was a teacher in the Japan Adventure program in Otsu, Japan.
Ferrentino is a member of the Greenville Rotary Club, the Coalition of Greater Greenville (COGG), the Montcalm Human Services Coalition and Leadership Montcalm, and he serves as a coach with Greenville’s youth soccer program. In addition, he is a past president of the Michigan Occupational Deans Administrative Council and of the Montague Whitehall Rotary Club, a former chairman of the Volunteer Muskegon Board of Directors, and a former member of the Michigan Liberal Arts Deans Association, the Michigan Community College Chief Academic Officers Association and the National Council for Workforce Education.
He and his wife, Ronda, reside in Greenville. They have five children, Joe Ferrentino, Katie Ferrentino, Chris Hanes, Taylor Gorecki and Amanda Gorecki.
Montcalm Community College Board of Trustees Chairperson Karen Carbonelli recognizes MCC’s fifth president, Robert C. Ferrentino, during a Nov. 6 ceremony at the college.