Muskegon Community College (MCC) President Dale K. Nesbary announced Wednesday, August 18, he will retire in June of 2022 as the College’s tenth President, concluding 44 years in higher education, research, and leadership. He began his career at MCC in 2009, making him the second longest-serving president in the College’s 95-year history.
Under Nesbary’s leadership, MCC completed $55 million in infrastructure upgrades, the most ambitious facility improvements since the construction of the main campus. The College secured more than $20 million in grants and private gifts, including the largest private gift in the College’s history ($1.5 million), as well as the largest Michigan Economic Development Corporation grant ($4.1 million) in West Michigan history. More importantly, the College achieved its highest academic rankings ever including being ranked at the top of the 28 Michigan Community Colleges by BestColleges.com in 2017 and Intelligent.com in 2021.
According to Chair of the Board of Trustees Diana Osborn, Nesbary has been instrumental in leading efforts to transform and strengthen the college. “Dr. Nesbary’s collaborative skills, intelligence, relationship building, and drive have brought us to where we are today. He leaves a legacy that will deliver long lasting benefits to our students and staff for many years to come,” said Osborn.
Nesbary has served on numerous national, state, and local boards including the Center for Community College Engagement, the American Council on Education Fellows Board, the Michigan Community College Association Board (Chair), and the Trinity Health Michigan Regional Board (Chair) overseeing a $6.1 billion budget and 23,000 employees. Notably, he has been appointed to State of Michigan boards by governors of both the Democratic and Republican parties.
Mike Hansen, longtime President of the Michigan Community College Association said, “Dale’s experience, knowledge, and talent continues to fuel unprecedented levels of advocacy for community college students across the state and enhance collaboration between colleges. We are thankful for his passion for equity and commitment to higher education.”
Nesbary is the recipient of numerous honors, including being selected as an American Council on Education (ACE) Fellow, 2018 Newsmaker of the Year-Education Division by the Grand Rapids Business Journal, and in 2021 named a Rotary Club Paul Harris Fellow.
Previously, he served as full professor of Political Science and Vice President and Dean for Academic Affairs at Adrian College. Prior to this, Nesbary was selected to be Associate Professor and Director of the Master of Public Administration Program at Oakland University. Additionally, Nesbary worked as Research Director and Technical Services Director with the Boston Police Department. He also served as Director of Contract Management and Assistant Director of Budget and Program Evaluation with the City of Boston central administration. In his early career, Nesbary worked as Principal Staff Associate with the National Conference of State Legislatures in Denver, Colorado, and as Fiscal Analyst with the Michigan Senate Fiscal Agency. He has staffed or managed political campaigns across the nation since the early 1980s. Moreover, during his entire adult life, he has been a first-call professional trombonist, performing as a session, studio, and live performance musician with local to internationally known acts.
Nesbary has published three books, two book length monographs, and over 30 academic papers primarily in the areas of politics, finance, technology, leadership, and policing appearing in national and international academic journals. Importantly, in 2000 he published one of the first books on Internet based survey research (Survey Research and the World Wide Web). His writings have been featured in prestigious publications such as the British Journal of Education Technology, Policing, and State Legislatures. He is a sought-after keynote speaker addressing a variety of topics.
Nesbary earned a Ph.D. in Law, Policy and Society at Northeastern University in Boston, a Master of Public Administration degree from Western Michigan University, and a Bachelor of Arts degree from Michigan State University. He resides in Muskegon, Michigan with his wife of 42 years, Connie. He is the proud father of two adult children, Nicole, and Matthew. His interests include baking bread, making jams, and trombone performance.