• PAMELA BOND - Victoria Advocate
• Originally published May 28, 2008 at 9:57 a.m., updated May 28, 2008 at 9:57 a.m.

After months of searching, it only took a few minutes for The Victoria College to approve Thomas Butler as its fourth and next president.

During a special meeting Tuesday, the board voted unanimously for Butler, the current president of Lonestar College - Montgomery at The Woodlands and the only of three finalists not to withdraw his name from consideration.

“I think we will remember this day as one where we’ve done great things for our community,” said trustee Ron Walker, the board’s president. “We appreciate everything Dr. Butler has done and everything he will do.”

Butler, a native Texan, attended public schools in Carrollton, earned his bachelor’s and master’s degrees in economics from the University of North Texas and graduated with his doctorate degree in higher education from the College of William and Mary in Virginia.

Butler visited Victoria when he applied for the position and on May 6, when he met with the board and other college and community members. He made his third visit to the city Tuesday for the board’s special meeting.

“It’s a vibrant, active city,” Butler said. “We met a lot of people and could sense their commitment to the college. We’re looking forward to being a part of this community.”

In earlier interviews with the Advocate, Butler and his colleagues emphasized his vision of leadership through service, which extends from the college to the community. In The Woodlands, Butler is active in the United Way, chamber of commerce, American Heart Association and Transportation Task Force.

“I’m looking forward to the same community involvement here,” Butler said. “One of the roles of a community college is to help meet the needs of the community.”

Current President Jimmy Goodson will retire on July 31 and Butler will start Sept. 1, once his current contract expires. Butler will be moving to Victoria with his wife, Pat. He also has two grown sons.

“I’ll probably come some times during the summer to learn a little bit,” Butler said. “I plan to work closely with Dr. Goodson and meet with key people, administrators as well as faculty and staff. Some things I already know, but I need to begin learning what’s unique to Victoria.”

Once he officially starts as president, Butler said he has many things he plans to do, mainly “what needs to be done now and what needs to be done to take care of the future.”

Pamela Bond is a reporter for the Advocate. Contact her at 361-580-6578 or pbond@vicad.com, or comment on this story at www.VictoriaAdvocate.com.

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