The Jefferson College Board of Trustees recently voted to extend President Dena McCaffrey’s contract.
The board voted 5-0 in a Jan. 9 closed meeting to extend McCaffrey’s contract through the 2027-2028 school year. Board member Steve Meinberg was absent from the meeting.
“We are happy to extend Dr. McCaffrey’s contract,” board president Margie Passmore said. “Under her leadership, we have seen several programs initiated and student success increased. For example, the vet tech building project and the project at the Arnold campus that added the law enforcement-EMT facility.”
Passmore was referring to a nearly $5.2 million renovation and expansion project at the college’s Arnold campus, 1687 Missouri State Road. During that construction project, a third floor was added to the facility and other building renovations were completed in conjunction with the relocation of the college’s Law Enforcement Academy and EMT programs from the former Imperial campus to the Arnold one.
The Imperial campus is now idle while college officials decide what to do with it.
The $5.2 million project also included the expansion and renovation of biology labs at the Arnold campus.
The other project Passmore mentioned is a new $3,022,000 state-of-the-art veterinary technology facility being built on the Hillsboro campus.
College officials had expected the vet tech building to be ready for classes by the start of the spring semester on Jan. 13. However, due to recent severe winter weather, the move of veterinary technology classes from the Career and Technical Education (CTE) building to the new structure was delayed for about a week, McCaffrey said.
It has been the board’s regular practice each January to vote to extend the college president’s contract by a year, keeping the person locked in for three years.
The board extended her contract through June 30, 2028, at a salary at not less than $210,120, which is her current salary, McCaffrey said.
She said her salary for the 2025-2026 school year will be set in the spring when the board approves the college’s next fiscal year budget.
McCaffrey said she appreciates the board extending her contract.
“I am happy the board is again extending my contract; I cannot believe I am already in my fifth year as president,” she said. “The Board of Trustees at Jefferson College is so committed to our mission and ensuring the educational needs of our community can be met by the college. I’m fortunate I get to work with such a great faculty and staff every day in fulfilling that mission.”
McCaffrey, 54, of Arnold became the college’s president July 1, 2020, replacing Ray Cummiskey, who retired.
Prior to becoming the Jefferson College president, she had worked there since 2007 and was dean of Career and Technical Education when the board chose her to succeed Cummiskey.
Board member Ron Scaggs, a trustee for 24 years who is not seeking re-election when his current term ends in April, has served on the board during the entire span of McCaffrey’s employment at the college and highly complimented her work.
“I think Dena’s done an outstanding job,” Scaggs said. “Nothing gets by her. She’s on top of everything. She’s amazing.”