The Marion Technical College (MTC) Board of Trustees have selected Southern State Community College Vice President of Academic Affairs Dr. Ryan McCall as its new president after an extensive nationwide search, according to MTC.

McCall will officially begin the presidency on Jan. 1, 2016.

“Dr. Ryan McCall is the MTC board’s choice for leading Marion Technical College into the future,” said Rex Parrott, chairman of the MTC Board of Trustees. “He has the drive, the experience and the vision to help us serve our students in the ever-changing marketplace.”

McCall, according to an MTC news release, said, “I am extremely honored to have been selected to serve as president of Marion Technical College. I look forward to working with the board, faculty, staff and students to make MTC the best it can be. My family and I are excited to move and become involved in the Marion community.”

McCall has served as vice president for academic affairs at Southern State for eight years. He oversees four campus locations and has increased dual enrollment from 50 students to over 700. McCall has also directly assisted with lobbying efforts to obtain funding for the Regional Higher Education Collaborative in South Point. He obtained his Doctorate of Philosophy in Higher Education Administration from Ohio University, a Master of Science in Biology from Morehead State University – College of Science and Technology, and a Bachelor of Science in Natural Science from Shawnee State University, according to the MTC news release.

MTC has educated more than 40,000 students since 1970. McCall will be stepping in to lead MTC in educating 2,500 students enrolled in more than 60 programs, certificates and majors.

Former MTC President Dr. J. Richard Bryson retired this past June after 42 years as president. Dr. John Erwin has led MTC as interim president while the search was conducted and will step down on Dec. 31 after assisting with the transition of McCall.

“All four finalists were outstanding candidates,” Parrott said in the news release. “The board gave this decision careful thought and it was not an easy decision.”

The Pauly Group assisted with the presidential search, which began in August. The search committee reviewed 67 candidates and interviewed 10 semifinalists in October before narrowing the field to the top four candidates, the news release said.