News

By Alex Freeman, MCC Communications Specialist

After being employed at Grand Rapids Community College for the past 24 years, Scott Mattson wasn’t necessarily looking for the exit. 

However, when an opportunity in a similar, yet more expansive, role came about at Montcalm Community College, it was too good to pass up. 

Mattson joined Montcalm Community College as the new Dean of Occupational Programs & Workforce Development on Jan. 20. It’s a similar role to the last title he held at GRCC, Interim Associate Dean of Workforce Training, making for a natural transition. When deciding to make the leap to MCC, Mattson thought back to the advice he regularly gave his kids throughout their lives. 

“I have 18-year-old and 21-year-old sons, and I tell them all the time, ‘You never know when opportunities are going to pop up and you have to be willing to jump,’” Mattson recalled. “In many conversations with my wife, I realized, ‘I think this is one of those opportunities, it’s time to challenge myself a little bit.’” 

In his new role, Mattson will be responsible for cultivating existing relationships with area employers to continue to provide necessary training for their employees. He looks forward to meeting with new employers, as well, and finding out how MCC and its facilities can assist in workforce development for their organization. 

“The other bucket of work, which I spent most of my time in at GRCC, is really helping those individuals, the non-incumbent workers that aren’t working in that industry,” Mattson added. “Maybe they’re working somewhere else and just want to start in a new field, go in a different direction or maybe they just haven’t had a professional skill. We can help them get skills to get some entry-level work and I constantly remind them that this is the beginning, not the end, once they’re done.” 

Mattson will also serve as the Dean for Montcalm Community College’s Greenville campus. This role involves more operational responsibilities of the building and the campus, which Mattson looks forward to taking on. His role as Dean at MCC is different than the expectations he had as Interim Dean at GRCC. 

“At GRCC, that meant more about working with faculty, whether it was sitting in their classrooms and observing them, faculty tenure promotion and review committees, curriculum review, things like that,” Mattson said. “Here, there’s a lot broader scope of responsibility, along with the same responsibilities, but I’m looking forward to the challenge, for sure.” 

MCC Director of Instructional Innovation, Kevin Wagenmaker, said Mattson was chosen for the position given his ability to connect his vast industry expertise, strong leadership skills and ability to forge meaningful partnerships between education and industry. 

 “His background in workforce development made him stand out as the ideal candidate to lead our efforts in preparing students for high-demand careers,” Wagenmaker said. “Scott’s ability to collaborate with industry partners and his forward-thinking approach to program development will be a tremendous asset to MCC as we continue expanding opportunities for students and employers alike.” 

As part of his goals for his new role, Mattson hopes to increase foot traffic on the Greenville campus, stating that he’d love to showcase what the campus has to offer to the community. 

“I want to start by getting some high schoolers and employers to tour the campus and show them what we have here,” Mattson said. “We have some amazing facilities; we have an amazing staff who is really proud of the work we do here. It seems like we may just be a hidden gem that not a lot of people know about, so I want to bring awareness to that.” 

In his few short weeks at MCC, Mattson said he’s been welcomed with open arms and is excited to be part of such a positive, uplifting work environment. 

“It seems like a great culture — everyone seems like they want to be here,” Mattson said. “It really seems student focused, which I think is key. I always say there’s a reason that Community is in Community College — if we’re not here to serve the community, what are we doing? We might have the world’s greatest ideas but if no one outside of these walls wants that, what’s the point of it? 

“Everyone has been really helpful, especially for being the new guy and finding things around the building,” he added. “The team here at Greenville has been amazing.” 

Mattson is originally from Marquette. He attended Northern Michigan University for his first year of undergraduate studies before transferring to Lake Superior State University, where he played college tennis and earned a bachelor’s degree in business administration. Following graduation, Mattson returned to LSSU to coach tennis before heading to GRCC in 2000. He later earned his master’s degree in administration with a concentration in leadership from Central Michigan University. 

Mattson and his wife, Autumn, reside in Cedar Springs. He is an assistant basketball coach for the JV and varsity boys’ teams at Cedar Springs High School and he’s also an assistant coach for the school’s tennis team.