Alumnus Lars Hafner Inaugurated as Manatee Community College President
Phi Theta Kappa alumnus Dr. Lars Hafner pledged to lead Manatee Community
College "to the gold standard of tomorrow" when he was recently inaugurated
as the Florida institution's President. Phi Theta Kappa Executive Director
Rod Risley participated in the ceremony by providing a welcome and introducing
Dr. Hafner, his friend and colleague for many years.
More photos,
news coverage and Dr. Hafner's speech are available on the Manatee
Community College website.
Inducted into Phi Theta
Kappa's Eta Nu Chapter at St. Petersburg College 28 years ago, Lars Hafner
has supported the Society throughout his academic and professional life,
Risley noted. The text of Risley's address follows:
"Following
her first escape from slavery, Harriet Tubman said, 'When I found I had crossed
the line into freedom, I looked at my hands to see if I were the same person.
There was glory over everything.'
"This event this day celebrates
the kind of life-changing experience Tubman describes. For at this the
very moment, we must stop, reflect and realize that this college, this community
and this chosen leader - Dr. Lars Hafner - will no be longer the same. All have
grown as a result of the process of selecting a new leader for this institution.
The process brings excitement and hope. It provides the opportunity to
dream new dreams and to build new confidence. This is a time to look forward
to new possibilities and new ideas. Yes, there are many challenges, but
through a renewed spirit of collaboration - we can make things better. But
we should never fail to reflect on our past for lessons learned.
"The
first time I saw Lars Hafner - who was hard to miss due to his tall stature -
he was wearing an oversized cowboy hat emblazoned with the name of his Phi
Theta Kappa chapter at St. Petersburg College - Eta Nu - at the 1981 Phi Theta
Kappa Convention in Dallas. While the cowboy hat did not reappear in later
years, Lars returned - each time serving in a different leadership role.
"Lars was a Phi Theta Kappa chapter officer at St. Petersburg
College, was an active alumnus when he transferred to the State University
of New York, and then was an Eta Nu Chapter advisor while a faculty member
at St. Petersburg. Along the way, Lars received the first of many Phi Theta
Kappa awards - alumnus of the year in the Florida Region.
"Lars
was an advisor for many years, with his friend and mentor Steve Meier, helping
the Eta Nu Chapter to set many records for outstanding achievements - being
named the top chapter many times out of 1,200 world-wide. In 1988 he embarked
on a new type of career - at the young age of 27, Lars entered politics, defeating
a longtime incumbent to be elected to the Florida House of Representatives
in his first bid for political office.
"He served 12 years, until
term limits caused him to retire in 2000, and was chairman of the Finance
and Programs subcommittee of the Higher Education Committee. During his
tenure, Lars developed a reputation of being an extraordinarily effective
legislator because he is a consensus builder. He embraced differing opinions,
spirited debate, but was not afraid to make difficult decisions that a leader
must make. Through all his success, though, he has never forgotten his roots
- his beginning at a community college.
"In the mid-1990s, Representative
Hafner worked closely with Phi Theta Kappa to establish the All-Florida
Academic Team, honoring the state's top community college students. Every
year more than 100 students are recognized and are offered transfer scholarships
by nearly every university in Florida - scholarships worth millions of
dollars that not only reward academic excellence, but also encourage outstanding
students to continue their education in Florida.
"Lars' contributions
to education were rewarded when the Florida Association of Community Colleges
presented him with the very first Lifetime Legislative Achievement Award.
And Phi Theta Kappa awarded Lars one of our highest honors, the Board of Directors
Alumni Achievement Award, in 1996.
"After leaving the legislature,
Lars has continued to contribute to community colleges. He received his
PhD from Barry University, became Vice President for Education and Student
Services at St. Petersburg College, and designed the University Partnership
Center at St. Petersburg. He became provost of the St. Petersburg/Gibbs
campus, and today we honor him in his newest role, as the president of Manatee
Community College.
"Lars has come full circle - he is familiar
with every aspect of the community college experience - he has been a student,
an alumnus, a teacher, an administrator and college president - and, I'm
proud to say, a Phi Theta Kappa member, a loyal alumnus and a dedicated advisor.
As someone who has known him throughout this journey, I can attest that he
brings a wealth of experience, specialized knowledge and tremendous insight
into his presidency.
"He knows what students want and what students
need - which is not always the same thing - he understands the concerns of
faculty, the viewpoints of the administrators, the necessity for community
support, and he knows all about budgets, the economy, and the evolving nature
of higher education in America.
"Over the years I have watched
Lars grow as a leader and as a dedicated public servant. He has worn many hats
since that Eta Nu cowboy hat - and the years have brought many changes - but
in many ways Lars has not changed - as a seasoned administrator he brings
the same energy, intensity, passion and excitement to every new task and
every new challenge, that he did as a student.
"So as we call upon
Dr. Hafner to lead us through this new station in the life of Manatee Community
College and this community, how will we measure success? Increased enrollments,
creation of new programs for new jobs, improved access, new partnerships
and collaborations? These benchmarks are important - but I also know that
Dr. Hafner values the words Emerson used to describe success:
''To
laugh often and love much, to win the respect of intelligent people and the
affection of children, to earn the appreciation of honest critics and endure
the betrayal of false friends, to appreciate beauty, to find the best in
others, to leave the world a little better whether by a healthy child, a garden
patch, or a redeemed social condition, to know even one life has breathed
easier because you have lived, this is to have succeeded.' "
