CLINTON, Iowa – Clinton Community College (CCC) President Brian Kelly will be one of 28 college presidents to receive the Phi Theta Kappa (PTK) Honor Society’s prestigious Paragon Award during the society’s annual convention in Columbus, Ohio.
Mr. Kelly and the other honorees will be presented with the award during the April 20-22 conference. The 2023 recipients were chosen from a group of 406 eligible college presidents, chancellors, and CEOs. The award requires recipients to have served for three years or less. Mr. Kelly, who joined CCC, part of the Eastern Iowa Community Colleges, in 2020, was nominated for the award by students at the Clinton campus. Recipients can only accept the award once in their careers.
“It’s an amazing honor to be recognized by our chapter,” Mr. Kelly said in a news release. “I’m proud of the work these students have achieved both academically and through their work and advocacy for their fellow students and community.”
The award recognizes college presidents who have supported student success initiatives leading to stronger pathways to completion, transfer, and employment.
“Dr. Brian Kelly is committed to nurturing student success and leadership at the college,” EICC Chancellor Sonya Williams said in the release. “Under his leadership, we have seen a significant increase in scholarships awarded to high-achieving students and the creation of numerous leadership development programs.”
She added that his “dedication to student success is inspiring, and we are grateful for his unwavering support of our students.”
Mr. Kelly became CCC’s new president on Feb 1, 2020. He previously served as vice president for College Services at Lane Community College in Eugene, Oregon, and prior to that was Lane’s division dean of Conference and Culinary Services. A Midwest native, he graduated from Kishwaukee Community College, 80 miles west of Clinton in Illinois. He earned his bachelor’s degree from Southern Illinois University in Carbondale and his master’s from Marylhurst University in Lake Oswego, Oregon.
According to EICC, Mr. Kelly has accomplished an impressive amount during his short tenure at CCC, including establishing a partnership with Metallica’s All Within My Hands Foundation, broadening career and technical training opportunities, and attaining record-high completion rates.
Phi Theta Kappa is the premier honor society recognizing the academic achievement of students at associate degree-granting colleges and helping them to grow as scholars and leaders. The Society is made up of more than 3.8 million members and nearly 1,300 chapters in 11 countries, with approximately 240,000 active members in the nation’s colleges.
Eastern Iowa Community Colleges include Clinton, Muscatine and Scott Community Colleges. The district covers all of Clinton, Jackson, Muscatine and Scott counties and parts of Cedar and Louisa counties.
