‘I’m excited to be here’
August 1, 2008
By Kelly Wilson
Tom Klincar is
celebrating two milestones today.
On the same day he takes over the reins as
president of
"I'm excited to be here," Klincar said. "Life is good."
He comes to JWCC after working as commander
(chancellor) of the College for Enlisted Professional Military Education at
Maxwell-Gunter Air Force Base in
He also served for two years as commandant
(president) of the Community College of the Air Force at Maxwell Air Force
Base, where he oversaw 102 campuses, 330,000 students and 6,500 faculty
members, the largest multicampus community college in
the world.
Klincar said he and his wife, Debbie, are looking forward to
"a long tenure" in
"The community has been very welcoming and
receptive," he said. "The Board of Trustees at John Wood, I don't
think I could ask for a better group of people to work with. They work together
so very well."
Klincar says he's been studying
"I think that we have got challenges ahead of
us," he said. "But those challenges (create) great opportunities. I
am so thankful to Bill Simpson and those who have been at the helm of our
education and training programs at the college, and had the foresight to lay
the ground work.
"There is a huge need that
Klincar says he doesn't have any immediate plans to shake things
up, and wants to listen to JWCC staff, faculty and students, as well as to
members of the community.
"The surest way to fail is to walk in and not
listen, to say 'I've got all the answers,'" he said. "We have got
such a broad experience and capabilities within
Klincar is JWCC's fourth president.
Trustees announced on May 21 that he was chosen from a field of four finalists.
He will be paid a base annual salary of $160,000.
Both Klincar and his
wife grew up in