Bay Mills Community College selects new president

The Board of Regents at Bay Mills Community College has selected Bay Mills tribal member Duane Bedell to be the new college president. Bedell was selected from a large field of qualified candidates to become the college's third president. Bedell has a background as a leader in tribal communities, he has taught both graduate and undergraduate courses at BMCC and other colleges, and worked for BMCC as the Computer Informations Systems Department Chair for ten years. Bedell will take over for retiring BMCC president Michael Parish on January 1, 2021, after working alongside Parish since September.

BMCC Board of Regents president Bryan Newland said of the selection, "Duane was chosen based on his vision, leadership, and experience in education." Prior to his selection, Bedell worked for the past two years as the tribal manager for the Bay Mills Indian Community. Previous to that, Bedell served for ten years as the department chair of BMCC's computer information systems department. An alumni of BMCC, Bedell earned an associates in computer information systems before going on to receive a bachelor's degree from Baker College in computer science. He then attended University of Michigan where he earned a master's degree in educational technology. Bedell is also a doctoral candidate in educational leadership at the University of Michigan.

Bedell's roots and experience in the area and within the tribal community make this appointment a milestone for him. In a press release from the college Duane Bedell says, "I am honored and humbled to be named the third president in BMCC's history. This is a dream come true! Under the leadership of Mickey Parish, BMCC has been successful by following its core mission and vision, which is to provide a high-quality education while preserving the Anishinaabek culture and language. I am looking forward to working with all of the departments to build a culture that facilitates collaboration to expand BMCC's horizons while maintaining the high-quality education BMCC is known for."

For his part, exiting president Michael Parish said of Bedell, "I believe that the board did an excellent job of advertising and selecting a new president and I want to congratulate Duane on his selection. I believe that the board did an excellent job of advertising and selecting a new president and I want to congratulate Duane on his selection."

BMCC is one of just three tribally controlled colleges in Michigan and is the only community college in the eastern Upper Peninsula.