The Board of Trustees of Elgin Community College announced on Jan. 2 that the eighth president of ECC will be David Sam, Ph.D., J.D. He succeeds Mike Shirley who retired Dec. 31, 2006.
Richard Nay, ECC board chairman stated, “We are delighted to welcome Dr. Sam and his family to ECC and the board thanks the community for their continued support and feedback during this time. We feel Dr. Sam will be a tremendous asset in furthering the mission of ECC and the students we serve.”
Dr. Phyllis Folarin, the board’s vice chairwoman, concurred adding that all of the finalists for the position were immensely qualified. “But we felt Dr. Sam has the capacity to develop a new leadership paradigm for the college that speaks to his background in global affairs and community college leadership as well as his excellence in increasing enrollment while balancing academic and financial resources in serving a growing population.”
Elgin Community College has more that 10,000 students, 400 full time employees and 600 part time employees and runs on a budget of $57.2 million. Dr. Sam is ending six and one half years of service as president of North Harris College, part of the North Harris Montgomery Community College District in Houston, Texas.
David Fiifi Appiah Sam was born in Winneba to Alfred Kwamina Sam and the late Christiana Impraim. After elementary school he attended the Mfantsipm School. He came to the United States as an international exchange student through the American Field Service program and attended high school in Eureka Illinois. He traveled back to Ghana and spent a year and a half at the Tema Secondary School before returning to the U.S. in 1978 to attend Illinois State University.
While at Illinois State University, he obtained outstanding academic credentials graduating cum laude earning bachelors’ degrees in Economics, Political Science and History. He completed an MBA in Finance and Marketing from Northwestern University’s Kellogg School of Management, a Master of Arts in Law and Diplomacy and Doctor of Philosophy in International Economic and Political Relations from the Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy at Tufts University. In May 2001, he received his Juris Doctor degree from the University of Akron Law School.
Dr. Sam has held professional and teaching positions at College of DuPage and Harold Washington College, both in Illinois. He was acting Vice President for Academic Affairs and Dean of Natural and Social Sciences at Mott Community College in Michigan. He previously served as Vice President for Faculty and Instruction at Harrisburg Area Community College in Pennsylvania and was Dean of the University of Akron, Ohio Community and Technical College as well as a Professor of Social Science and Business Management before becoming President of North Harris College.
During his presidency at North Harris College, Dr. Sam is served on the Aldine ISD Superintendent's Business Advisory Group, the Mexican Institute of Greater Houston, Inc. Advisory Board, the Boards of the Northwest Assistance Ministries, North Houston Greenspoint Chamber of Commerce, Northwest Chamber of Commerce, Leadership North Houston, Greenspoint Rotary, Greenspoint YMCA, Greater Greenspoint Redevelopment Authority, Aldine Scholarship Foundation, Spring ISD Educational Foundation, and the Education Foundation of Harris County. On a national level, he recently completed three years of service on the American Association of Community Colleges’ Commission on Global Education; he is now starting another three-year term on the Association’s Commission on Diversity, Inclusion and Equity.
Dr. Sam has been recognized with the Texas Phi Theta Kappa Hall of Honor Award for Outstanding College Presidents, the Phi Theta Kappa International’s Shirley B. Gordon Award for Distinction for College Presidents, and is the 2006 North Houston Greenspoint Chamber of Commerce’s Citizen of the Year.
Under his direction, North Harris College received several federal grants, including Title II, Title V, and Title VI. During his tenure, the college has initiated an early college program, summer bridge program for first generation students, increased retention and graduation rates, created several state-of-the art computer labs, and implemented a certified emergency response team of over 40 members. Additionally the college has expanded to meet the needs of its students by constructing and renovating facilities in excess of $23 million.
“I am humbled and honored to be named president of Elgin Community College. I look forward to working with all constituencies to advance the mission of the college,” said Dr. Sam.
Strong commitment to student success, education as a major instrument for social and
economic mobility, and learning centered colleges are three major components of Dr. Sam’s community college leadership philosophy. His personal mission is to meet and exceed students’ higher education expectations. Dr. Sam will begin his tenure at Elgin Community College on February 12, 2007.
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