Southwest Virginia Community College president appointed

Clinton R. Hayes, provost of Kentucky’s Somerset Community College, will be the next president of Southwest Virginia Community College, the state’s community college system announced this week.

“We’re excited to welcome Dr. Hayes to lead Southwest Virginia Community College, and we know he will continue to provide the kind of dynamic leadership that has made SWCC such a cultural center and economic driver in its region,” David Doré, chancellor of the Virginia Community College System, said in a statement. “We also want to express our deepest thanks to Dr. Victoria Sue Ratliff, who has provided leadership at Southwest Virginia as interim president since last January.”

Hayes will start his new job July 1.

SWCC is based in Cedar Bluff and serves the counties of Buchanan, Dickenson, Russel and Tazewell. Hayes has spent much of his career at Somerset Community College, where he is provost and senior vice president of academic affairs, and previously served as associate provost, associate dean of academic affairs and director of institutional effectiveness and research. He also taught biology at Somerset and was an adjunct instructor and graduate assistant at Eastern Kentucky University, where Hayes earned his bachelor’s and master’s degrees.

He earned an associate degree in science at Somerset and a doctorate in education at University of the Cumberlands.

“As a first-generation college student from a rural community whose life was shaped by the education and support I received at a community college, I understand firsthand the transformative power of institutions like Southwest Virginia,” Hayes said. “I look forward to working alongside faculty, staff and community partners to build on the college’s remarkable legacy and invest in the future of our region by helping more students succeed in ways that transform their lives, support their families and strengthen the communities they call home.”

Tommy Wright, SWCC’s previous president, left last year to become the VCCS’s senior vice chancellor for finance and operations. He served as president beginning in 2018.