Larry McGee to head Centralia College's bachelor's program
Posted: 1/24/2012
Long-time businessman and community activist Larry McGee has been selected to head the Centralia College Bachelor's of Applied Science in Management (BAS) degree program, the college's first ever four-year baccalaureate degree. Classes are expected to begin this September.
The bachelor's degree program features two- and three-year tracks and is offered in a hybrid format, a mix of online and in-the-classroom classes, which will begin at 5 p.m. on the Centralia College campus.
"We are extremely fortunate to have Larry lead this program," Dr. Jim Walton, president of Centralia College, said. "He has tremendous experience and outstanding leadership skills that will help make this program successful for the college and for the students."
"This is an exciting challenge. It will reshape Centralia College as it provides a higher level of educational service to the community," McGee said. "The bachelor's degree program is a tremendous benefit for the community. Now people won't have to drive distances or do something totally online to earn a four-year degree." He began his duties Jan. 3.
McGee added that a quality four-year degree offered locally will be an important incentive for attracting business and industry to the area and will help give graduates better options for staying closer to home.
McGee holds a bachelor's degree from Millikin University, an MBA from Shippensburg University, and has executive education in marketing, finance, and human resources. He spent 25 years with PPG Industries with a variety of responsibilities including membership on start-up teams that began with vacant land acquisition and ended with operational manufacturing plants.
"This was a complex process involving detailed planning, hundreds of people and $50 to $100 million of capital investment over a two-year period," McGee said. He has also served as plant manager and has worked in human resources where he was responsible for contract negotiations, management development, safety, health and environment for 15,000 employees in 100 locations around the world.
Following his time with PPG, McGee spent 11 years with IBM in manufacturing consulting and sales. He retired from IBM in 2007 and turned his energies to community involvement. He is the chair of the Chehalis Renaissance Team, membership chair of the Timberline District of the Boy Scouts of America, vice president of the Lewis County Concerts and a charter member of, and very active in, the Twin Cities Rotary Club. He is one of three Senior Core of Retired Executives (SCORE) volunteers in the Twin Cities area, assisting entrepreneurs and helping small businesses start, grow, and succeed.
"I never thought that I'd go back to work in a formal sense of the word because I'm so busy and very happy with what I'm doing," McGee said. "My wife Becky says it is official that I have now failed retirement!"
But he has joined the college ranks and brings a wealth of business and management experience.
"I know how important it is for the graduates of this program to have more than the four-year degree. We want them to be valued by employers and to be more promotable because they have a much better idea of what business is about, and to be viewed differently by the organization. Graduates will be well-grounded in business and management," McGee said.
Students who enter the program and expect financial aid are encouraged to begin the application process. The deadline for a priority status for financial aid is March 15. Information on the bachelor's degree program, including the financial aid process, is available at www.centralia.edu/academics/BAS/.
McGee can be reached by calling 360.736.9391, ext. 432, or via email at bachelors@centralia.edu.
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