July 11, 2013
Dr. Thomas W. Newsom
The Board of Trustees of Mesalands Community College has unanimously approved the appointment of Dr. Thomas W. Newsom as the next President of Mesalands Community College effective August 1, 2013.
Dr. Newsom’s appointment was made official during a special Board of Trustees meeting on Thursday, July 11, 2013.
“All five members of the Board of Trustees, felt Dr. Newsom was the best candidate for this College,” Mr. J. Bronson Moore, Chair of the Board of Trustees of Mesalands Community College said. “During his visit to campus, he really fell in love with Tucumcari and he knows there’s a lot of potential for growth for the College and for the community.”
The Board’s selection of Dr. Newsom caps a six-month national process. An Initial Presidential Screening Committee (IPS), composed of College staff and faculty, board members and community representatives, was charged with presenting candidates to the Board for consideration. Three finalists were then selected by the Board of Trustees to participate in extensive campus-wide interviews with faculty, staff, students, and the community.
“The Board commends the screening committee [IPS] for their time they devoted to this search and interview process,” Mr. Moore said. “I especially want to thank James Streetman, Secretary/Clerk of the Board of Trustees and Chair of the screening committee [IPS], for leading such a successful search.”
Dr. Newsom is from McKinney, TX. He earned a Bachelor’s Degree in Liberal Arts from Austin College in Sherman, Texas; a Master’s Degree in Secondary and Higher Education from Texas A&M University-Commerce; and a Ph.D. in Higher Education from the University of North Texas.
Dr. Newsom has more than 20 years of experience in higher education. In 2000, Dr. Newsom joined the Art Institutes, and has served in various roles within the organization for the last 13 years. Since 2010 he has been president of The Art Institute of Dallas, with additional responsibilities as Vice Chancellor of South University since 2011. In both roles, Dr. Newsom was accountable for quality professional education and student and graduate success, by leading the overall administrative and educational functions of the campus and the system of schools. During his presidency, The Art Institute experienced unprecedented student growth, new program implementation, including matriculation of the first graduate students, and completion of a campus-wide renovation project.
Dr. Newsom has also been an active member in the communities he has lived and worked in, and has served as a board member for several organizations, including the chamber of commerce, and non-profit consumer credit counseling services.
Dr. Newsom and his wife, Victoria, have three children.
“I first want to thank the Tucumcari community and the College faculty and staff, for the warm welcome my wife and I received when we visited campus. I’m very pleased and proud of Mesalands Community College already, even though I haven’t officially started as the next President. I also want to thank the Board of Trustees for placing their trust in me, hopefully I can live up to their expectations and serve the College well,” Dr. Newsom said. “I think Mesalands Community College is destined for greatness and hopefully under our leadership together, we can move the College in the right direction and serve all of our faculty, staff, and students well in the future.”
