The two finalists for the presidency of Chadron State College are meeting today with campus groups and the public in a series of on-campus question-and-answer sessions.

Northwest Kansas Technical College President Dr Guy Mills and CSC interim President Dr Richard “Randy” Rhine were selected as finalists to succeed the retired Dr Janie Park out of a poll of about 20 applicants.

Each will be meeting this morning or afternoon in the Student Center with students, faculty, support staff, and professional staff before ending with sessions with the public in the Sandoz Center Atrium. Dr Mills will meet the public from 4:30-5:15 while Rhine will be there from 5:30-6:15.

Guy Mills has been at Northwest Kansas Tech in Goodland for nearly 3-1/2 years. The school, which has 579 students, has nearly doubled its enrollment over the past 4 years and was recognized by “Fast Company” magazine last year as one of the top 5 “technology decked out colleges” in the nation.

Mills earned his Bachelor’s degree at Missouri-Kansas City, a Master’s degree and an Educational Specialist degree from Central Missouri State, and his doctorate in education from the flagship University of Missouri.

His professional resume includes 7 years as history teacher or principal and 13 years as a school superintendent…all in Missouri…and 3 years as Director of College Relations for the multi-campus Metrolitan Community College system…also in Missouri.

Mills was a faculty member or department head at Missouri-Kansas City and South Dakota State University between 1994 and 2001 when he became Dean of the College of Education and Human Services at Minnesota State-Moorhead.

After Moorhead, Mills was Dean of the College of Education and Technology at Fort Hays State, then Dean of Education and Associate Provost at the University of Texas-Permian Basin until being named president at Northwest Kansas Technical in June 2009.

Dr Randy Rhine is a native of Arkansas and earned all 3 of his degrees…Bachelor’s, Master’s, and PhD at the University of Arkansas.

After graduation, he spent 2 years with the U-S Department of Agriculture as director of Adult Basic Education in Arkansas, then returned to his alma mater and spent the next 12 years holding a variety of posts in the Division of Continuing Education.

Rhine left his native state for Montana State-Billings in 1996 to become Dean of the College of Professional Studies and Lifelong Learning…working under Dr Park, who was a vice-president.

He was one of her first hires at Chadron State in late 2005, bringing him in as a special assistant for enrollment and retention. Rhine was named Vice President for Enrollment Management, Student Services, and Director of College Relations the following year and held the post until named interim President in May.

Again, the public question-and-answer session with Dr Guy Mills runs from 4:30-5:15 in the Sandoz Center, followed from 5:30-6:15 by Dr Rhine.