News Photo by Temi Fadayomi Alpena Community College President Don MacMaster, standing, speaks during an ACC board meeting on Thursday.

The Alpena News

ALPENA — The Alpena Community College Board of Trustees is pleased with the direction of the college.

Following a closed-door evaluation of ACC President Don MacMaster, officials cited growing enrollment, strong relationships with legislators, and a new program at the college offering a bachelor’s degree in nursing.

In a statement shared Friday by ACC spokesman Jay Walterreit, Trustee Lisa Hilberg said the board discussed the following progress during MacMaster’s evaluation:

* ACC recently had the highest enrollment gain among Michigan Community colleges, with a more than 12% gain during the spring semester.

* The college has developed and maintained relationships with legislators at both the national and state levels and secured appropriations for the college.

* The college recently launched a Bachelor of Science in Nursing program.

“In general, the board was pleased with the many accomplishments of the college over the year, including having the highest graduation rate amongst Michigan community colleges,” ACC board Chairman John Briggs said in a statement shared by Walterreit on Friday. “We, as a board, are very pleased with what Alpena Community College has been able to accomplish this year, especially the expansion of the services and resources at our Oscoda campus and the growth and addition of resources in our nursing program from the Certified Nursing Assistant program and the Bachelor of Science in Nursing at our two campuses. We are also pleased by the positive energy and enthusiasm within the entire college community.”

It remained unclear Friday exactly what rating the board gave MacMaster during his closed-door evaluation or whether the board gave MacMaster any direction on areas to improve upon. Asked to share a copy of the evaluation on Friday, Walterreit instead shared the statements from Hilberg and Briggs.

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MacMaster 2023 Position Responsibilities Self-Eval by Justin Hinkley on Scribd

When pressed, Walterreit on Friday provided a copy of MacMaster’s self-evaluation that was used as part of the evaluation process.

The self-evaluation showed MacMaster was rated on numerous metrics, including implementing board policy, recommending a balanced budget, and promoting a positive image of the college.

MacMaster said he met all criteria except one: directing a strategic planning process for the college. MacMaster said in his self-evaluation that the college’s Strategic Planning and Budgeting Committee wasn’t “fully functional” in the past year, but he planned to engage the committee and “begin a campus and community-wide strategic planning process to lay out a path forward for the next 5 years.”

“The evaluation process is robust,” MacMaster said Thursday. “There are about 40 metrics that the trustees measure me on. They allow me to provide a narrative that lets me respond to the criteria. If I haven’t met the criteria, then we talk about it, and, in some cases, if I meet the criteria or exceed it, then we talk about that.”

Though MacMaster’s evaluation was held during a closed session, the board reviewed the evaluation during open session and highlighted some of MacMaster’s strengths, such as the growth of enrollment and developing and maintaining relationships with lawmakers.

“We’re pleased,” Briggs said Thursday. “Next year, we’ll have a chance to look at it and see where things are going, but reflection on what a good job we’ve done, the college, under his leadership the past year, I think it’s all fitting proper.”