Thomas Leary wanted to be a lawyer, but he never left Luzerne County Community College.
At the age of 22, he took a part-time position in the admissions and recruiting office. He soon forgot about law school and eventually became the school’s longest-serving president.
“I really fell in love with the idea of a community college. I saw such great potential in the future,” Leary said. “Part of my aspiration to become a lawyer was tied really into public service, meaning that I would have the opportunity to act in some capacity where I was actually helping people. And it dawned on me… the focus of a community college is to literally help anyone who wants to achieve their education.”
Fifty years later, Leary will leave LCCC at the end of the week.
“What I have seen and what I've experienced, I never would have imagined in my life that I was going to have that opportunity,” the 72-year-old Kingston resident said. “I never would have wanted to do anything else in my life.”
In his five decades on campus, and as president since 2008, Leary has seen the college evolve and students change.
Eight buildings existed on the Nanticoke campus when Leary arrived. There are now 19 buildings and also centers in Berwick, Greater Susquehanna (Watsontown), Hazleton, Pittston, Northumberland, Scranton and Wilkes-Barre.
Enrollment has also fluctuated through the years. In the spring, about 4,400 students took credit-earning courses. Over the last 20 years, the school has averaged about 6,000 students per semester. Like many colleges, LCCC saw enrollment drop during and after the COVID-19 pandemic, and the enrollment has now reached pre-pandemic numbers, Leary said. About 10,000 students take credit and non-credit courses yearly.
Student demographics have also shifted. With growing diversity, the college started an English as a Second Language comprehensive academic program in 2018. Ten years ago, two of three students attended the college full-time. Now, two of three students attend part-time.
A few boxes sat in Leary’s office last week. The pictures from the preschool students who attend a Headstart classroom on campus were slowly coming off the walls. Well wishes from graduates hung on signs.
He will miss teaching his yearly history course, visiting classrooms and learning about students’ challenges – and watching those students succeed.
“You realize what you've been part of is something that really is special,” he said.
Joan Blewitt served two terms on the college’s board of trustees during Leary’s tenure. He dedicated his life to the college and believes in each person’s potential, said Blewitt, who recently retired as a King’s College professor.
“The thing that impresses me the most about him is his genuine care and concern for the student,” she said. “He at every, I will say every decision that was made, every discussion, it always reverted back, ‘What will this mean for the student?’”
Former state senator John Yudichak will begin his presidency next week, after the board appointed him in the fall with a 13-2 vote.
As Leary starts his retirement from the college, he won’t be idle. He has received offers for several opportunities and also plans to volunteer, he said.
“My sincere wish and my belief is that this college is only going to get better. It's just going to grow and it's going to have even a greater impact,” he said. “I just feel very humbled that I've been able to be part of this… the incredible story of this college.”
