DATE: Saturday, July 12, 1997               TAG: 9707120205

SECTION: LOCAL                   PAGE: B1   EDITION: FINAL 

SOURCE: BY MATTHEW BOWERS, STAFF WRITER 

                                            LENGTH:   92 lines

AGGRESSIVE PRESIDENT OF TCC LEAVES OFFICE

The aggressive and controversial president of Tidewater Community College is off the job, accepting his boss's offer to take a year off with pay ``to prepare for his return to the classroom full time'' as a professor.

An acting president will be chosen in August, and a new president hired by July 1998.

Friday's announcement of the change offered few details, although one official in the community-college system blamed friction between the six-year president, Larry L. Whitworth, and state community-college officials in Richmond.

Whitworth arrived in South Hampton Roads from a Pittsburgh community college in 1991 and hit the ground running and complaining - directly to legislators and business people at times - about low funding for TCC. He pushed ahead quickly with a number of changes and projects, pleasing some and irking others among officials, faculty and students.

``They weren't clicking,'' one official said on condition of anonymity. Whitworth ``wanted to move faster than they would move, or wanted to move.''

The announcement Friday came from Arnold R. Oliver, chancellor of the Virginia Community College System, and Robert J. Keogh, chairman of the TCC Local Board. Oliver hired Whitworth and offered him the sabbatical.

They called it ``an appropriate time'' for Whitworth to take a leave and praised him for several of his accomplishments, such as improving the college's technology capabilities, beefing up the curriculum and working to increase enrollment and local-government funding. They also commended his establishment of the Visual Arts Center in downtown Portsmouth, a women's center on the Portsmouth campus, and this past January, the opening of the Norfolk Campus, the fourth for the 18,000-student two-year school.

Keogh, however, wasn't happy with the decision, in which he didn't participate. He said that if it were up to him and the local board, Whitworth could stay on as president for as long as he wanted, but ``we don't sign the contracts.''

``Larry has done a wonderful job,'' Keogh said. ``The local board holds Larry in the highest regard. . . . He was the man.''

Chancellor Oliver wasn't available for comment Friday.

``I know that Dr. Oliver is very complimentary of many of the initiatives and successes that Dr. Whitworth had at Tidewater Community College,'' said Joy S. Graham, assistant chancellor for public affairs, ``but the situation as it now exists is a personnel matter, and we don't discuss personnel matters.''

Whitworth declined to comment Friday beyond a statement in the state system's announcement in which he said he enjoyed his time in higher-education administration and thanked TCC's faculty, staff and other officials ``for the help, guidance and support I received as we worked together to change the future of Tidewater Community College.''

Whitworth's new contract, signed July 2, appoints him as a non-acting president on sabbatical for one year, at his current annual salary of $112,447 through November and $120,454 afterward. The state system will provide him with a computer, printer, fax machine and technical and clerical services, but he's not to work at any TCC campus during the sabbatical.

In August 1998, Whitworth begins a five-year appointment as a professor. The first year will be at Thomas Nelson Community College in Hampton or Paul D. Camp Community College in Suffolk or Franklin; the next four years will be at TCC. He'll receive the maximum professor-rank salary.

Whitworth, a Detroit native and college administrator for 30 years, was an elementary-school and college math instructor before entering administration.

Local college officials and others expect the change to have little initial impact, since the presidency is more concerned with long-range planning.

Whitworth's leaving ``was pretty much a surprise'' to Joe Buchanan, provost of the Virginia Beach Campus.

``In the interim, fortunately, we're pretty well set up with our plans for the next six to eight weeks to get school started,'' Buchanan said.

Timothy H. Kerr, provost of the Chesapeake Campus, said Whitworth helped him get more computers for Chesapeake faculty and students, automate school records and establish telephone registration.

``In the short term, it's probably not going to have much impact. Because we're a . . . large institution and you don't change things quickly. . . . The real change will probably come with the new person.''

Whitworth succeeded George B. Pass, TCC president for 18 years. In addition to expansions, Whitworth pushed for higher academic standards and greater cooperation with area four-year colleges.

He applied for and was bypassed for jobs as president of a Milwaukee technical school in 1994 and a Florida community college this past May, both times saying he was happy to stay at TCC.

``I will guess that Larry will look for a presidency elsewhere,'' said Kenneth V. Geroe, a member of the Virginia Board for Community Colleges when Whitworth was hired. ``From what I know of Larry, I suspect that's true, that he feels he's accomplished what he can accomplish within the confines of this system. . . .

``Larry was a very aggressive advocate for funding and programs and new campuses and everything for TCC. Which I think most of us recognize was the role of president, but which I guess ruffled some feathers.'' ILLUSTRATION: [Color Photo]

Dr. Larry L. Whitworth is taking a year off with pay before

returning to teaching.

Send Suggestions or Comments to webmaster@scholar.lib.vt.edu