In a press release Tuesday, McLennan Community College announced President Johnette McKown would retire.
"We all reach a point when we know, it’s time to go ahead and begin the next chapter," McKown said in an interview Wednesday.
The 76-year-old says she’s looking forward to spending more time at home and visiting family.
McKown has been president of MCC for 17 years. She has served as a campus administrator for the past 37 years. Of her time on campus, McKown says her focus on student success and experiences have defined her tenure.
"I wanna be rememberd for the role I played with students from scholarships to helping them individually and the programs I started – nothing about me," she said.
McKown will remain president until May 31, giving the board time to conduct a thorough search for her replacement.
"[The new president] will do it and probably better – different and better – but that’ll be their option," she said.
When asked about her proudest moments, McKown pointed to the time she spent with students in the Presidential Scholars program, expanding dual credit and workforce training programs and upgrades and additions to campus buildings.
But one of her greatest accomplishments was creating the Emergency Grant program, using her own money to help build the foundation.
"We did that so that if students have one thing that's gonna keep them from finishing, that they can get a little surge there," she explained.
The program is now donor funded and awarded over $200,000 to students last year.
And while she credits her dedication to the college to her lack of children, many of her students disagree.
"I said that I didn't have any [children] one time, and they said "no, you have about 8,500." Because I do, I treat them like if I had children," she remembered.
And that she says, will be hard to leave come May.
