President Galen DeHay to address graduates at Summer Commencement
July 22, 2019
Galen DeHay, newly-elected president of Tri-County Technical College, will deliver the College’s summer commencement address Thursday, August 1, at 6 p.m. at the Anderson Civic Center.
Approximately 360 students will receive degrees, diplomas and/or certificates. In addition to families and guests of the graduates, alumni and other friends of the College are invited to attend the ceremony.
DeHay, the College’s former science department head who has served as senior vice president for the past four years, succeed Dr. Ronnie L. Booth, who retired June 30.
As senior vice president, DeHay provided leadership for all academic, student support, enrollment and workforce development functions of the College, including Academic Affairs, Student Support and Engagement, College Transitions, Marketing, Research and Evaluation and Integrated Workforce Solutions.
Under his direction, the College has developed manufacturing and health care pathways (I-BEST programs) for high school and non-traditional student populations. He also led the team in the creation of the Michelin Manufacturing Scholars program in collaboration with Michelin North America. The program won the 2018 Innovation Program award from the Community Colleges of the Appalachia.
He co-developed and implemented a business and industry relations model that improved the College’s ability to meet emerging workforce needs and designed an integrated workforce solution structure that integrates non–credit and credit programming to meet workforce needs.
In collaboration with College staff, DeHay created partnerships with Adult Education that resulted in the formation of a state model educational pathway between adult education and technical colleges. In February, the College was honored at the South Carolina Association for Adult and Community Educators conference with the Outstanding Organization of the Year Award for its partnership with Adult Education in Anderson, Oconee and Pickens counties to develop and support the I-BEST career pathways.
He previously served as interim provost and vice president for academic affairs, and assistant vice president for instruction and institutional effectiveness.
A former biology faculty member and science department head at Tri-County, DeHay has more than 11 years of teaching experience in the College’s Arts and Sciences Division.
Earlier this year he was among the 40 leaders nationwide selected by the Aspen Institute’s College Excellence Program to join the 2019-2020 class of the Aspen Presidential Fellowship for Community College Excellence.
He is the 2007 recipient of Tri-County’s Presidential Medallion for Instructional Excellence, the highest award presented to faculty at Tri-County. The same year he was named the S.C. Governor’s Professor of the Year for two-year institutions. In 2013 he was named Tri-County’s Administrator of the Year at the South Carolina Technical Education Association conference.
Currently he serves on the Anderson County Economic Development Collaborative board and Foothills CAN. He serves on the Commission on Higher Education Advisory Committee on Academic Programs and the BASF Community Advisory Panel. He is a member of the American College Personnel Association and the Society for College and University Planning.
Over the past several years, he has been a presenter at state and national conferences for the Association of Community College Trustee Leadership Congress, American Association of Community Colleges, Society of College and University Planning, state and national STEM conferences and local business and industry forums.
The Central resident holds B.S. and M.S. degrees from Clemson University and will be awarded a Ph.D. in educational leadership from Clemson University.
