Liang Chee Wee, the new interim chancellor of Eastern Iowa Community Colleges, has a small pin depicting a little red wagon on his jacket. He wears the pin every day. The pin is not a whimsical style choice; it’s the logo of a group called America’s Promise. That is an organization started by the late […]
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Liang Chee Wee, the new interim chancellor of Eastern Iowa Community Colleges, has a small pin depicting a little red wagon on his jacket. He wears the pin every day.The pin is not a whimsical style choice; it’s the logo of a group called America’s Promise. That is an organization started by the late Colin Powell – the former secretary of state and chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff. That nonprofit group is dedicated to uplifting at-risk youth through a cross sector association of community organizations, businesses, and government organizations.
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(from left) Muscatine Community College President Naomi DeWinter, Clinton Community College President Brian Kelly, and Liang Chee Wee, interim chancellor for Eastern Iowa Community Colleges, listen during a Thursday, Sept. 28, special meeting of the EICC Board of Trustees. CREDIT DAVE THOMPSON
Liang Chee Wee, right, the newly appointed interim chancellor for Eastern Iowa Community Colleges, talks with Clinton Community College President Brian Kelly after Mr. Wee was named interim chancellor. CREDIT DAVE THOMPSON
EICC Interim Chancellor Liang Chee Wee gives a speech this fall.
Liang Chee Wee, the newly appointed interim chancellor for Eastern Iowa Community Colleges, talks with attendees of a special EICC meeting after being named interim chancellor. CREDIT DAVE THOMPSON
“The little red wagon is a symbol of childhood. It could be filled with a child's hopes and dreams or weighed down with their burdens. Millions of American children need our help to pull that wagon along. Let's all pull together,” Mr. Powell once said about the wagon symbol.“The pin reminds me of what I need to do,” said Mr. Wee, adding that he sees one of his top goals as being a person who helps lift people up and help them succeed in life – especially through the educational opportunities offered by EICC. He sees himself as a person who should help fill that wagon with hopes and dreams.Mr. Wee became the interim chancellor at EICC in October, shortly after Sonya Williams resigned the chancellor post for personal resigns, according to EICC officials.He will serve as interim chancellor until June of 2025. EICC leaders said a nationwide search for a new chancellor will likely start next fall.EICC Board of Trustees President Bob Gallagher said the board wants the new interim chancellor in place until the summer of 2025 for two reasons: First, it will give the board time to conduct an extensive and national search for a new chancellor. Second, to have a leader in place for the academic accreditation process for EICC that will take place in October of 2024.“We want to have stability here for that process,” Mr. Gallagher said.After that accreditation is complete next fall, EICC expects to get “heavily into the process” of searching for a new chancellor, he added.Until that time, EICC district will be led by Mr. Wee.Mr. Wee recently sat down with the QCBJ to discuss his goals for EICC, his work and views of the Quad Cities after being on the new job for about two months.The interim chancellor has called Decorah, Iowa, home for about 30 years. He lives in the Quad Cities during the weekends, and commutes back to his Decorah home on the weekends.During his long career with other community colleges before arriving at EICC, Mr. Wee said he has visited the area many times and has been a fan of the QC. “I have a better appreciation of the vibrancy of the community. … People care about this place,” he said.So far, some of his favorite places in the QC include Me & Billy, and the 392Caffe in downtown Davenport.“I love to stop at family-owned places to see the gathering of people. … I’m still finding my way here. People have been more than gracious,” he added.Mr. Wee also enjoys meeting with people at the meetings and gatherings in the community. They have included everything from meeting with the parent of a special needs student to see how EICC can help her son, to meeting with the Quad Cities Chamber of Commerce to see how the college and form better partnerships with area businesses.“There really is no typical day with this job,” he said, adding every day brings a new adventure.The interim chancellor has been gaining fans in the community from those meetings."Dr. Wee is a consummate professional who is analyzing the immediate needs of EICC while taking appropriate steps to meet the workforce and educational needs of the region,” said LaDrina Wilson, CEO of the Quad Cities Chamber, after meeting with Mr. Wee.“His long history in community college leadership will be an asset in creating stability for the college and will prepare the college to springboard into new, innovative opportunities. Our region is in good hands with his thoughtful leadership."Mr. Wee said that leadership means setting goals for EICC. Perhaps the biggest goal, he added, is to go “back to basics” and look at enrollment improvements, student success, equity and innovation. “They are all interconnected,” he said.He says many of his goals for EICC can be summed up in this question: “Where are the pockets of population that are not being served as well as we should serve them?”When asked about his goals for the next year and a half, Mr. Wee said he wants to get these tasks accomplished:
Form better partnerships with businesses and other groups in the community.
Be nimble. That is, make quick decisions to address the needs of the community, and be proactive. “How can we adjust to meet the needs of the people?” he asked.
Support EICC’s K-12 partners in the community.
Be humble. Be willing to learn from everybody.
Always be curious.
Connect with people. Listen to what people have to say. “I can honestly say that I am still here because I am still listening,” he said.
That art of listening is a passion for Mr. Wee. He said it’s a “gift from my dad.”He added that his late father could be a man of few words, but always made friends easily because he would let them talk and listen to what they had to say.For the people who have met the new EICC boss in the past two months, they might believe he has yet another goal – always wear a bowtie. During his interview with the QCBJ, he was sporting a bowtie that was decorated with a series of small snowmen.Mr. Wee said his fashion choice isn’t really a goal. He just likes the look of the bowties.“They also make it easy for people to spot me. I just tell people ‘Just look for the Chinese guy wearing a bowtie.’ … I enjoy wearing them. I enjoy the look,” he added.While his list of goals may change and grow over the months, Mr. Wee said he knows that he will not have at least one additional goal – become the permanent chancellor of EICC.He said he’s happy with his “interim” status and wants to concentrate on getting goals done in the coming months.“I have a task to do. …. I am not looking past that; that’s a distraction,” he added.As for his plans after his days at EICC end in June of 2025, it’s still unclear. “God will let me know,” he said.
AT A GLANCE: Liang Chee Wee
Age: 61
Family: Wife, Jane Ann Whelan; two stepsons, and two twin grandsons in Arizona.
Home: Lives in Quad Cities during the weekends. He and his wife have lived in Decorah, Iowa, for about 30 years.
Background and education: He attended the University of Arizona, earning a Ph.D. and an MBA in business administration from the Karl Eller Graduate School of Management, and a bachelor of science and bachelor of arts in management information systems. He retired from North Iowa Area Community College (NICC) in 2022. He served as president of NICC, and serves on the board for MercyOne and for Freedom Bank; has authored and published 23 peer reviewed papers; frequently serves as a keynote speaker, presenter, panelist, and facilitator at various events; and has been recognized with many professional awards and honors for his leadership. He has been an educator for over 35 years, with 15 of those years spent at Luther College teaching and serving as a department head and associate dean. In 2007, he left Luther to become the provost at NICC and later assumed the presidency.
Early life: Mr. Wee arrived in the U.S. on July 4, 1983, after serving in the Singapore Armed Forces. He grew up in a rural village in Singapore. “My mom never went to school because her family was poor. My father completed the equivalent of high school and had to work to support the family. But both ensured that their two sons would receive more education than they did,” he said in a news release. He moved to Iowa in 1992 to work at Luther College.
