Pan ushers in a new dawn
Nick Kosmider
The dawn of a new era is beginning and it starts with Shouan Pan at the helm.In March, Pan took his post as MCC president, becoming the sixth in the school’s history.
“I have long had admiration for this institution and I am very pleased and honored to be here,” Pan said.
Though excited to take his post as the head of MCC, Pan said he is aware of the challenges the school faces going forward.
“We need to do a better job supporting our students,” the president said.
Pan explained that an important goal he has during his administration is to make higher education accessible to those who want it.
He spoke of the need to reach students in neighboring middle and high schools and inform them of their choices when it comes to college.
“I believe all students should have the chance to access higher education and we need to give these students the opportunity to succeed.”
Pan said that serving current and future students will be the most important part of his job as president.
He believes that an important measure in serving the students is assuring their safety on campus.
“We are working to put into place a comprehensive emergency relief plan,” Pan said. “We need to be ready for everything.”
Pan praised past leadership for the steps they have taken that he said have helped ensure safety on campus.
He said one thing the school wants to do is give keys to adjunct faculty members so that they would be able to lock down buildings in the event of an emergency.
He also said that the school is still looking to put into place a unified system of locks so that the entire school could be locked down at the same time if necessary.
Pan also addressed the impending legislation that would allow students and teachers to carry concealed firearms on campus.
He said that while he trusts the state legislature to make the right decisions, he questioned how the law would fit in with the school’s goals.
“We are about teaching and learning here and I doubt we have to have guns to achieve those things.”
Pan said his chief concern as he begins his reign as MCC president is to reach out to students.
“They need to know who I am,” he said.
He said he wants students to know that although his schedule is busy he will always take the time to meet with students who need to speak with him.
