Trustees updated about search
By Phyllis Moore
Published in News on March 25, 2016 1:46 PM
Wayne Community College board of trustees members said they are pleased the search process for a new president, with one outcome in mind -- the best possible "fit."
At its Tuesday board meeting, Chairman Chris Martin offered an update on the effort to replace Dr. Kay Albertson, who announced she will retire Aug. 1.
In December, the board met with a representative from the state community college system for guidance in finding the college's sixth president. They later hired the consulting firm of N.C. Association of Community College Trustees President Search Services to handle the details.
The position has been advertised and efforts made to create a profile of the ideal candidate for this community, Mrs. Martin said. There have been several meetings to elicit input, starting with faculty and staff at the college.
The public was also invited to weigh in, with two delays due to inclement weather before that happened.
"We had probably 30 people show up for that so that was good," she said. "And we had a lot of good comments from people.
"A lot of people who couldn't come to the meeting wrote down their comments and sent them to us. They were very thoughtful comments."
The response from potential candidates has been positive, she said.
"The applications have gone directly to the consultant," she said. "He's cutting down from the huge number that we have, maybe to a couple dozen or so."
She also praised the make-up of the search committee -- comprised of trustees and representation from the WCC Foundation, faculty and staff, superintendent of public schools, two public members and one from the business community.
More meetings of the committee are planned for April and May.
"By May we should have it cut down to five or six (candidates)," she said. "We will bring it to the full board at the May meeting. We'll have it so the full board can look at all of them and we can decide if we want to bring all of them in to interview."
There will likely be additional called meetings for the board to interview candidates, she added.
"We want our top two or three people to come here and see our campus, meet the people," she said. "We want this to be as open and transparent a process as it can be so that when we get the new person hired, (the public will) say, 'Those people at the college did what they were supposed to do.'"
Ultimately, she said, the goal is to have the one best suited for WCC emerge.
"We're going to try real hard to look at 'fit,'" she said. "The consultant can go through and do background checks, but that 'fit' we've got to do."
Word from the consultant is that there are some good ones, she said, emphasizing the adjective.
Board member Keith Stewart said he is asked often about the selection process and the status.
"I have encouraged everybody I have talked to about it to speak, if you have any kind of ideas, suggestions," he said, apologizing in advance for calls other board members may receive, because he had given out their names. "But I feel like this is one time we really need to let folks know that we need their input."
Mrs. Martin agreed, calling this the "most important thing" the board will have to do.
"The college is such an important part of this community. It's so important that we get the right person," she said. "It's very important that we listen to what people have to say."
In the profile drawn up by the board of its ideal candidate, and the feedback that has been collected so far, there are many overlaps, she said -- strong leader, student-centered, bringing disparate groups together.
Board member Wayne Aycock, who had asked for the update, said he just wants to make sure all the players are at the table.
"Like you said, we have got to nail this," he told Mrs. Martin. "This has got to be right."
"It does seem to be moving right along on the time line," she replied. "I think we're getting a lot of interest from applicants. We're getting a lot of interest in the process, certainly from the college family."
"I just hope that we can get the right one," Aycock said, noting that several other colleges also have openings for presidents right now.