Board moves forward on search for new WCC president
By Phyllis Moore
Published in News on November 29, 2006 1:45 PM
Wayne Community College is officially on its way to receiving applications for a new president, members of the Board of Trustees said Tuesday night.
Keith Stewart, chairman of the presidential search advisory committee, told the board that an advertisement for the position should begin appearing in education journals as early as next week.
He said the executive committee had to call a meeting prior to this month's regular session to comply with the advertising deadline.
A sample copy of the ad along with the profile criteria and timeline for selecting the next administrator were also distributed to board members.
Stewart said according to the proposed calendar, the college is moving at a good pace toward securing a new leader.
Dr. Ed Wilson, current president, announced his decision to retire in June 2007 at the board's Sept. 26 meeting. On Oct. 12, the board met with Martin Lancaster, state president of the community college system, and began the process of appointing the search advisory committee.
A community forum was held on Nov. 2 to elicit feedback from the faculty, staff and students of the college as well as the representatives from the surrounding community. Information gathered was used in creating a profile of the ideal candidate for Wayne County.
The advertisement for the position is expected to appear in "The Chronicle of Higher Education" and other publications beginning Dec. 8, Stewart said. At that point, there will also be a spate of information available for candidates on the college's Web site, he noted.
Applicants could begin responding in late December and early January, with interviews scheduled to start in late February.
According to the proposed timeline, the field of candidates would be narrowed to three and submitted to the state board of community colleges for review in early March, with the new hire announced in late April.
Upcoming dates in the selection process might or might not hold true, Stewart said.
"It will depend on how many applications we receive and how that proceeds," he said.
"We're feeling good about it at this point, but we have got a long ways to go. December will be quiet and then it's going to bust loose in January."