At 2:00 p.m. on Thursday, October 6, 2022, Muskegon Community College (MCC) will host a formal investiture ceremony to welcome the 11th College President, Dr. John Selmon. MCC Board of Trustees Chair, Diana Osborn will place the presidential medallion on Selmon following a ceremony that will include an academic processional of eight different college presidents and top leaders, tribute speeches, and the recognition of several elected officials.
In April of this year, The Muskegon Community College Board of Trustees voted unanimously to select Selmon as the college’s next president. He assumed office on July 1, 2022, when Dr. Dale Nesbary officially retired after 13 years in office.
A widely respected administrator at MCC since coming to campus in May 2011, Selmon currently serves as the provost/executive vice president providing leadership and oversight for Academic Affairs, Athletics, Facilities, and Student Services. He has more than three decades of experience in key leadership roles at both public and private higher education institutions.
Selmon spearheaded the collegewide Achieving the Dream initiative resulting in a national designation for MCC as a Leader College, national recognition for MCC’s student success initiatives, and subsequent rankings for MCC among the best community colleges in Michigan and the U.S.
He was the project lead for several major MCC building projects including the capital outlay grants. These included the $19.8 million Sturrus Technology Center, the $14.1 million Health and Wellness Center, the $9 million Art and Music Building, and the $805,00 Automotive Center. He was also a co-lead for the $9.6 million Science Center.
At MCC, Selmon instituted significant emergency practices and procedures to greatly enhance campus safety and security. In 2015, he was at the forefront of U.S. community colleges by establishing the “And Justice for All….” discussions which have engaged college and community members. The program focuses on proactively increasing meaningful dialogue on divisive issues affecting the nation, such as race, law enforcement, bias, defamation, economic injustice, incarceration, and gun control.
The 2002 recipient of Grand Rapids Community College’s Distinguished Alumni Award, Selmon and his wife, Zephra, have been married for 35 years and have two adult children, Jonathan and Jacquelyn.