Dr. Kim Teel has been appointed as the Dean of the Grayson County College South Campus in Van Alstyne. An open house will be held from 4:00-7:00 pm on Aug. 18 to introduce Dr. Teel to the community.

Teel has served in many roles at GCC, and this new position brings together her familiarity with the geographic area, her educational background and her interest in helping GCC position itself for the growth that is occurring within the county.

"I'm so excited about this opportunity. The College was proactive in the construction of the South Campus and it still has so much untapped potential," Teel said. "Our goal on the South Campus is to not only serve the students of Grayson County, but to serve the communities of southern Grayson County as well."

A resident of Melissa, Teel is ready to become more familiar with the leaders in the communities along the southern portion of the county. She is anxious to meet with Chamber groups, civic organizations and work with local public school officials. A short-term goal is to build on the partnerships that have already been established, and look for more ways the college, local businesses and community services can work together.

"Enrollment growth and expanded course offerings are two priorities for the Van Alstyne site," Teel said. "Obviously we can't force population growth, but we can be proactive in meeting the needs of the current population."

Teel's educational training began in 1988 at Oklahoma Baptist University where she was a nursing major. In 1989 she changed her major and enrolled at Northeastern State University where she earned a bachelor of arts in English Education with a minor in Physical Education in 1993. Teel completed a master's degree in Education from Northwestern Oklahoma State University in 1998, and earned a doctor of education in Educational Leadership from Baylor University in 2005.

Among Teel's professional experiences are several coaching roles at high schools and colleges. She has coached softball and basketball. Her teaching background includes four years as an English instructor in Oklahoma high schools, and a PE instructor at Oklahoma Panhandle State University where she also started the softball program. It was softball that brought Teel to Grayson County in 1998. She was hired to start the softball program at GCC and to teach Developmental Writing and PE classes. She was asked to help with the GCC Education program as it was growing in the early 2000's, and in 2006 she began serving as the Director of the Teacher Education program and a professor of Education.

GCC began serving the southern portion of the county in 1999 when it operated a two classroom, store-front facility. That site, originally named the South Grayson Center, experienced tremendous growth which led the Board of Trustees to purchase land for a permanent site. The current building opened in May 2004 with an enrollment of nearly 500.