Santa Fe College's Anne Kress was named as one of three finalists Monday for president of Monroe Community College in Rochester, N.Y.
Kress, who was one of 32 applicants, joined the SFC staff in 1999 as an associate professor of English.
Since then, she has held positions such as English department chair, interim vice president and her current position as provost and vice president of academic affairs.
"Anne has grown up professionally in her years at Santa Fe," said SFC President Jackson Sasser. "She is an exceptional educational leader."
Kress indicated her interest in the position about three months ago, and it took Sasser a while to get used to the idea of Kress leaving, Sasser said.
"It will be a tremendous loss for Santa Fe," he said.
Although Kress said she would leave with mixed feelings, she recognizes that the new position would provide an extraordinary opportunity.
"More and more students are turning to community colleges as a gateway to universities," Kress said. "It is a wonderful day to work for community colleges and a wonderful step in my professional journey."
Kress said SFC is an important part of Gainesville and of her professional life, adding that it has been hard to think of leaving.
"The only reason I would ever think of leaving would be to go to a community college like Santa Fe where there is a shared emphasis of success and a community who is dedicated to academic excellence," she said.
The other finalists are Kevin Drumm, president of Northern Wyoming Community College District and Gordon May, president of the Highland Lakes Campus of Oakland Community College in Bloomfield Hills, Mich. Kress said the president of the community college will be selected in early April with a starting date in July.
