Ken Mills, the bear-hugging former president of South Central College who was fiercely optimistic about life and its opportunities, died Saturday at his Wisconsin home after battling cancer. He was 71.

Mills ushered the college through one of its most tumultuous times, and his gentle, big-picture style of management endeared him to many who worked with him.

“He was by far my greatest professional mentor,” said Rick Straka, vice president for finance and administration at Minnesota State University.

Mills came to what was then called South Central Technical College in 1992 after serving as vice president of academic affairs at Northcentral Technical College. He was a steadfast believer and supporter of vocational and technical education.

“President Mills provided leadership during SCC’s greatest years of governance change,” said Keith Stover, SCC’s current president, “from the School District Boards to a Regional Board, and in 1995 to the Minnesota State College and Universities Board of Trustees, and the mergers, which resulted in the current SCC makeup of our Faribault and North Mankato campuses.”

After the MnSCU merger, many schools complained about their lot. Mills did not.

“At MnSCU meetings there’d be a lot of complaining and everyone thought MnSCU was shortchanging them,” said Denny Dotson, owner of Dotson Foundry and former member of the MnSCU Board. “He tried to get other presidents to look at the opportunities. He led the other presidents in acceptance of the MnSCU system.”

Mills was a big help to Dotson.

“I really got to know him well when he came to the MnSCU board,” Dotson said. “He essentially mentored me through that process.”

Mills hired Straka in 1995 and gave him his first position where he was managing a significant number of people. He said that Mills helped him navigate the world of dealing with the entire college community.

This is where Straka learned the genius of Mills’ style.

“He was a real believer in the idea the organization was only as good as everybody in the organization, and that to make the best decisions, you really needed to include everyone. He was really an excellent consensus builder.”

He remembers Mills as “incredibly composed” and having a management style that empowered employees to take charge over projects. He’d be there as a resource and to support the employees, but Straka said Mills genuinely believed in every employee at South Central Technical College.

“He’s had a great influence in how I deal with people and how I manage,” Straka said. “If I can do it half as good as he did, I’ll consider myself successful.”

Dotson remembered Mills as a guy who didn’t get bogged down in the details. Instead he’d focus on the big picture and always keep his attitude positive.