Instructor sets sight on Board Seat

Fred McGhee remembers what it was like to be the new guy in a new place, having to learn how to deal with the local cultural norms and learn a new language. McGhee moved to the United States when he was ten. Before that he had lived in Germany with his German mother and American father.

McGhee had a tutor to help him with his English after school, but despite his best efforts, he still recalls an English teacher's harsh correction. They took turns reading Romeo and Juliet out loud. McGhee nervously waited for his turn, and when it came, he did fine until he came up to a certain word: adieu. McGhee said it as any German or French person would.

"I pronounced it the way I know how," said McGhee, but his teacher was livid. "My teacher just jumped down my throat. It really sent a chill up my spine. I was very embarrassed."

The teacher called McGhee out in front of the entire class and said, "No it's a-do."

McGhee recalls the event as part of a very typical immigrant experience in the United States. Growing up in Enfield, Connecticut he had to adjust to American life. But the days of being embarrassed in front of his peers are behind him. After being in the Navy, earning a doctorate degree, and running his own archaeology business, McGhee has adjusted to American life. 

McGhee lives in Austin, runs his business, is an instructor at Austin Community College, and in the spring will run for a position on ACC the Board of Trustees. He feels his life experiences, his knowledge of being both an outsider and then eventually being successful, allow him to bring a unique perspective to the board. McGhee will be running for one of three seats that will be up for election in May 2010. Place 3, currently held by Jeffrey Richard, place 5 held by Raul Alvarez, and place 6, which was formerly held by Veronica Rivera who resigned, will be up for election.

Candidates wanting to run for one of those seats have to fill out a Secretary of State Application and take it to ACC's Special Assistant to the President for External Affairs Linda Young's office in the Highland Business Center between Feb. 5 and Mar. 8, 2010. McGhee plans to fill out the paperwork and kick off his campaign in February.

McGhee left his American hometown of Enfield to enlist in the Navy in 1984. While he started out as an enlisted man, McGhee eventually became one of the first black naval officers and a deep sea diver. Through the Navy, he was able to get his a bachelor's degree in Linguistics from North Eastern University, specializing in Sign Language.

McGhee tried to apply what he had learned while getting his degree to his work as a Navy diver.

"We can teach Navy divers to sign. We can have underwater conversations," McGhee told the Navy. Unfortunately said McGhee the Navy was not interested.

It was as a diver in the Navy stationed in Florida that McGhee got his first taste of underwater archaeology, and that is what eventually led him to the University of Texas where he got his doctorate degree in anthropology.

"I decided to get out, go to grad school, and see if I could become a college professor," said McGhee of his leaving the Navy.

McGhee is finishing his first semester as an instructor at ACC and will be teaching again next semester. McGhee says he feels qualified to be on the board because he has been to schools like UT but he has also enrolled in community colleges.

"As someone who needed remediation after high school, and as somebody who went to a Navy prep school in order to qualify for a scholarship, I know what it's like to graduate from high school and not be eligible to go to a top tier college. I know what it takes to get yourself squared away and ready for college post high school."

Community college enrollment is rising across the country, and ACC is no different.

"It's growing like wildfire," said McGhee of ACC, and while he thinks the administration now is doing a good job of dealing with that growth, there are some things he would like to work on. He feels he can apply what he has learned as a businessman, an educator and a veteran to his desired role as a board member.

McGhee said he would like to bring a more diversified and European focus to the college as well as an appreciation for veteran's issues. But the most important issue he would want to focus on is graduation rates.

"It is very important that people who enroll in a community college who have an intention of going on for a four year degree get that degree," said McGhee. "This is the single biggest issue facing community colleges. It is not getting people enrolled. It is getting them to graduate."

Editor's Note
Candidates running for a seat on the ACC Board of Trustees can contact the Accent at editor3@austincc.edu or 223-3111 for an interview.

Follow the Accent for ongoing cover of the 2010 ACC Board of Trustees race

• Three seats are up for election. Place 3, currently held by Jeffrey Richard, place 5 held by Raul Alvarez, and place 6, which was formerly held by Veronica Rivera who resigned, will be up for election.
• Candidates wanting to run for one of those seats have to fill out a Secretary of State Application.
• Candidates should turn applications in to ACC's Special Assistant to the President for External Affairs Linda Young's office in the Highland Business Center between Feb. 5 and Mar. 8, 2010.
• Register to vote by Apr. 8, 2010
• Early voting starts Apr. 26, 2010 and the election is May 8, 2010