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Andy Bowne, the new president of the Tarrant County College Southeast campus, will begin his role July 1, 2024. (Courtesy image | Tarrant County College)
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If there’s one word that Andy Bowne would use to describe his leadership style, it’s “collaboration.”Bowne, the recently named president of the Tarrant County College Southeast campus in Arlington, says that working together around a shared vision will move the college closer to its goals.

“We do it together, right? There’s the way that we serve students, (and it) happens faculty member by faculty member, staff member by staff member, and student by student,” said Bowne, who has more than two decades of experience as a community college leader. “It’s leading by participation together, because we are all in it together.”

Bowne will begin his tenure this July, replacing longtime President Bill Coppola, who stepped down this year. The 123-acre campus recently opened a student experience building and new facilities for programs in the culinary arts, dietetics and hospitality management. The school’s 13,000 students can take classes in subjects ranging from information technology to food and nutrition coaching.

Bowne said he’ll be working on aligning available resources to the campus’ strategic direction. A key part of that is creating a sense of urgency on campus to meet student and community needs. 

“There are businesses that are looking to hire people, and they need graduates. And there are students who are eager to earn their degrees, their credentials, to get ready for that next step in life,” said Bowne. “And they’re often feeling that sense of urgency.”

Bowne comes to Arlington from Kansas, where he was the president of Johnson Community College, a regional college that served about 44,000 credit and noncredit students. Before that, he was the chief operating officer of Ivy Tech Community College, a statewide community college system with 18 campuses in Indiana. 

At Grand Rapids Community College in Michigan, he led workforce training programs and secured $30 million in private support and $30 million in regional, state and federal grants. 

Bowne has a doctorate in educational leadership and has taught classes in leadership and strategic planning.

“Dr. Bowne’s administrative and academic experience and his passion for entrepreneurial innovation make him the ideal candidate to help TCC Southeast support students, create new learning opportunities and serve our community,” said TCC Chancellor Elva LeBlanc, who leads the six-campus network of community colleges. 

Bowne’s wife, daughter, son and puppy, Walter, will be joining him in the move. His son is especially excited about being in Arlington, his favorite city, even though he’s never visited. He’s a die-hard Dak Prescott fan, and he’s watched a lot of Dallas Cowboys games — from afar. 

Bowne, a longtime Midwest resident, is looking forward to the change in weather.

“Having grown up in Michigan, and where (I) lived a number of years, you get 75-plus inches of snow in a year,” said Bowne. “Getting to one inch of snow is like a dream come true.”