CCSN presidential field trimmed to four

Friday, May 7, 2004 | 9:43 a.m.

A community college presidential search committee narrowed the field to four candidates Thursday after committee members reviewed introductory letters and resumes in closed session for almost three hours.

The move to closed session aggravated some committee members, but in the end the final four candidates were approved easily after receiving the majority of votes.

Richard Carpenter, president of the Wisconsin Technical College System, Peter Spina, interim president of the Thomas Nelson Community College in Virginia, Kamiran "Kim" Badrkhan, president of the College of the Sequoias in California, and Holly Moore, president of the Shoreline Community College in Washington, will be interviewed by the committee on Monday.

Several committee members expressed reservations about proceeding in closed session but did so at the recommendation of the search firm's director, Narcisa Polonio.

Polonio said she could not share more than skeletal sketches of the 10 candidates in open session until the board chose the candidates they wanted to interview.

"People are assuming confidentiality. This is about protecting people's careers," Polonio, vice president of the Association of Community College Trustees Board Leadership Services, said during a break in the meeting.

"These people have jobs, they are presidents of schools, and if it becomes public knowledge that they are trying to leave, the institutions are at risk and their jobs are at risk," Polonio said, adding that 15 to 20 people who applied withdrew their application when they were told the top 10 names would be made public.

"Most are willing to take the risk" once they know they are in the top three or four, Polonio said.

The committee -- five university regents and 14 faculty and staff from the Community College of Southern Nevada -- voted 18-1 to close the session, many stating that the biographies they had in front of them were just not enough to make an informed decision. Initially, committee members were only provided a one- to two-page sheet with the candidate's name, doctoral degree information and the last three positions held.

"I need more information to be able to invite them in for an interview," Joan McGee, chief campus administrator for the Henderson campus, said.

Only Joanne Vuillemot, chairwoman of CCSN's art and art history department, voted against moving into closed session, citing the current political climate. Regents demoted CCSN's former president, Ron Remington, and lobbyist John Cummings, after a 17-hour, two-day closed session in November.

"I really feel that everything needs to be open," Vuillemot said.

All of the final four candidates hold educational administration doctorates and met the profile established by the committee, Polonio said. With the exception of Spina, all began their educational careers with associate degrees from community colleges.

"They're all good, all viable," Kirkpatrick said. "I think any one of those four would come here and hit the floor running." Carpenter got the approval of all 14 CCSN committee members, whereas Spina received 13 votes, Badrkhan nine and Moore eight.

Carpenter oversees the entire system of community and technical colleges in Wisconsin, 16 campuses with an enrollment of 460,000 students and annual budget of $1.07 billion. Prior to his current job, which he has served in for a little more than two years, he was president of two different community colleges. One, Calhoun Community College in Northern Alabama, received a commendation from a federal judge as being a model for diversity.

Spina was president of Monroe Community College in New York for 18 years before going into full-time research as executive director of the Cornell University Institute for Community College Development. He then gave up on his retirement plans to serve as interim president of one of the largest community colleges in the country.

Badrkhan has extensive experience in raising private and public money for education as president of the College of the Sequoias in Visalia, Calif., for the past eight years, something committee members said they were looking for. He also has experience as the vice president of academic affairs and dean of instruction at Long Beach City College, which at the time had a total enrollment of 25,000-plus students.

Moore has spent her entire career moving up the ladder at Shoreline Community College in Seattle, first as assistant vice president of academic affairs and then as vice president of workforce and economic development. Moore has overseen the 15,000-student enrollment as president for the last four years, and has raised several million dollars for her college through private and public money.