认识托马斯·S.

呼吸治疗

When a 哈德逊山谷社区学院 alum becomes the president of a college, 这是一项值得庆祝的成就.

托马斯·斯特里普林，埃德.D., 哈德逊谷81届的毕业生, has been serving as president of Eastern West Virginia Community and Technical College in Moorefield, 在西弗吉尼亚州工作了两年. 当他从特洛伊开始的时候, 纽约, 他还有很长的路要走, 而是他天生的领导才能, 巨大的奉献, and much-appreciated support system brought him to where he is today.

Lacrosse brought Striplin, a stand-out athlete, to Hudson Valley in 1979. 尽管他在场上表现得很好, 他大学的第一年有点困难, 无论是经济上还是学术上.

他表示，这段旅程真的很有挑战性, and he credits some crucial individuals who provided unwavering support along the way. 在那段时间里, 我的车坏了, and I owe a debt of gratitude to Patty Hyland (now the department chair for Cardiorespiratory and Emergency Medicine Department at the college) and others who offered to give me rides, 还有我的室友, 谁有车，愿意帮我. 没有他们，我怀疑我是否能成功. It's essential to realize that students often hesitate to share their struggles, 但是当有人, 是教职员工, 同学, 或朋友, 伸出援手，提供支持, it can be the decisive factor between triumph and failure."

回顾他作为新生的早期生活, 斯特普林回忆道, following each exam in the respiratory care program courses, 考试成绩前三名被贴在黑板上. 作为大一新生, 他从未在那份名单上找到自己的名字, acknowledging that he hadn't exerted the effort he knew he was capable of. 然而, everything changed when one of his professors took the time to have a conversation with him about his work and presented a challenge to his potential for success. This encounter served as a powerful motivation for Striplin to shift his mindset and prove others wrong about his true capabilities.

这不仅仅是潜力的问题, 斯特普林现在解释道, 而是用它做点什么. After realizing he wasn’t reaching his full potential, he worked much harder during his second year. 结果是, 他的成绩提高了, 他上了院长的名单, and he found himself always in the “top three” list on the board. He went on to earn his associate’s degree in 呼吸治疗, and left Hudson Valley with fond memories and a new set of goals.

“我喜欢在哈德逊谷. 我喜欢在那里打长曲棍球. It was my first time away from home, and it was a lot of fun,他说. “The education and teachers I had were all really great, and it was a good two years. I learned a lot about myself and what I needed to do.”

But for Striplin, Hudson Valley was just the beginning. He went on to earn a bachelor’s degree in 呼吸治疗 from Salisbury State University in Salisbury, 马里兰; and both a master’s in education in Health, 健康心理学, and Physical Education and a doctorate degree in Education in Educational 领导 from Frostburg State University in Frostburg, 马里兰.

Before joining Allegany College of 马里兰 as a faculty member, 他在医疗保健方面有广泛的背景, 积累了几年的经验. 令人印象深刻的27年, he served as the Director of Clinical Education in the Respiratory Care Program, reaching the pinnacle of his career as a full professor. 在他的教授任期内, he dedicated himself to establishing meaningful connections with his students and recognizing the difficulties and obstacles they encounter during their college journey. He understood the significance of a simple conversation and the impact of genuinely caring for someone's well-being, realizing that such gestures could bring about life-changing transformations beyond imagination. In 2015, he earned the League for Innovation 教师 Excellence Award.

斯特普林在事业上不断进步, eventually becoming the dean of Arts and Science at Allegany College. Additionally, he devoted several years to serving on the Allegany County Board of Education. 在他的任期内, 他把成为一个真正的合作者作为首要任务, valuing the importance of actively listening to others and acknowledging that challenges would inevitably arise.

“One of the biggest skills is acknowledging someone else's position in order to reach a shared understanding,他说. 事实上, 他喜欢引用亚伯拉罕·林肯的话, “为了赢得一个男人你的事业, 你必须先触及他的心, 这条大路通向他的理智.”

今天, Striplin embraces that spirit in his current role as president of Eastern West Virginia Community and Technical College, a position he was appointed to in 2021 and one that requires strong leadership, 还有建立共识.

Striplin says he is really enjoying working as a president, and his previous experience in a variety of higher education roles has given him both knowledge of the college’s programs, 教师的担忧, 学生服务和劳动力需求, but also a strong ability to work with multiple audiences to accomplish mutual goals.

He also says he would describe himself as a “people president.” “My leadership style is very different and innovative,” Striplin explains. “我想听听你要说什么. 我想听听你的想法. 我要你到我办公室来一趟. 告诉我如何解决问题. 我只是想让大家感觉舒服.”

Striplin prides himself on keeping his office open all the time for anyone to come in. “没有障碍，”他说. He likes getting to know all the people he's working with, so he is often out in the college talking to people in person and visiting different departments. “It’s about getting people out of their office and getting people to feel like it's okay to speak up,他说. He hopes this approach will help him tackle any cultural issues that arise, 并激励人们作为一个团队一起工作.

“One of the things I always tell the entire college community is that you are all owners of this college,他说. “这个社区拥有这所大学. 我不. 我只是换了个姿势. I'm the president, but, in reality, I'm just another person who's part of this organization. 我刚好在上面, but that doesn’t make me any more important than the rest of the faculty or students. I’m here to do my part and ensure we reach our mission and goals as an organization.”