Getting to know the new President of STLCC-Meramec, George Wasson.
Kurt Oberreither
-News Editor –
George Wasson, president of STLCC-Meramec, comes out from behind his tidy desk and sits behind a round table in the corner of his office. A statistics book crowns a stack of college literature to his left. Later, Wasson easily transitions from speaking on behalf of the campus to opening up about his personal life and hobbies.
“See that? That’s the end of a blister,” Wasson said as he showed off a wound earned while digging in his garden.
“He’s got other things going that you can talk to him about—not just about work,” faculty member and Department Chair Angela Grupas, Ed.D., said.
Wasson may be Meramec’s busiest man as he balances schoolwork, duties as vice president of academic affairs (VPAA) and prepares to step into position of campus president, among other things.
A self-proclaimed “Hoosier,” Wasson studied economics at Indiana University during the 1970s where he earned both a master’s and bachelor’s degree. There were no community colleges in Indiana for Wasson to attend during his formative years but he said, like many students that attend community colleges, he received financial aid and worked his way through college.
“My focus was always on completing my degree. I knew that for me to be successful—you know, I didn’t have an inheritance—I had to depend upon my mind, my abilities, and that’s how I was going to get ahead in the world,” Wasson said.
During college he faced difficult decisions and even took a two-year break from school in order to straighten out financial issues.
Currently, Wasson is studying management, community college policy and administration at the University of Maryland’s University College. He said he has had late nights “polishing” and working through the final drafts of research papers.
“My time management skills are much better than they were 30 years or so ago. I’ve got… [an] understanding of what it takes to finish my job, finish my schoolwork,” Wasson said.
After teaching for six years at Indiana University, Wasson came to Meramec to teach economics where he remained for 20 years.
Outside of the books and STLCC duties, Wasson is a family man. He’s been married 24 years and has two sons. One will be a senior in electrical engineering at University of Missouri-Columbia and the other has just completed his senior year of high school.
“I’ve got a really nice family, all hard-working,” Wasson said.
Wasson said it was important that he spent the “critical” early years with his family, and in order to do that he would cut back summer hours and spend time on vacation and at baseball games.
Furthermore, Wasson said he is excited to see how district-wide sports “pan out” and he wants to try to attend games at other campuses.
Aside from gardening, Wasson stays busy at home and said he’s a “great cook” and enjoys cooking for his family often.
Grupas, who has worked closely with Wasson throughout 23 years, said his VPAA shoes would be hard to fill as he moves on to campus president because of his respect among faculty and his history.
“He’s like a repository of knowledge; he’s like a walking encyclopedia,” Grupas said.
Grupas said Wasson has the ability to relate and laugh with the students and is more akin to a high school instructor.
“It’s not like he was an administrator for 20 some-odd years and forgot what it’s like to be in the classroom. I think that’s important for a president or vice president,” Grupas said.
Grupas said it is bittersweet to see Wasson move on from vice president but he knows what it takes to be a good president.
“One thing I think I want people to realize is that it’s fun to work with George. I think that it’s important not to forget that even though we’re doing important stuff, we still have fun,” Grupas said.
