Familiarity may breed acceptance for CSN contender

By Charlotte Hsu (contact)

Thursday, April 24, 2008 | 2 a.m.

Michael Richards’ insider advantage was on display Wednesday as he made the case that he, rather than an out-of-state contender, should be appointed president of the College of Southern Nevada.

“Look at all these familiar faces,” Richards, the college’s interim president, said upon entering a CSN lecture hall where he and two other finalists took turns chatting with crowds of mostly faculty and staff members.

“I know this organization and I know how it works,” he said.

A deep understanding of CSN and its challenges, he added, is something his competitors lack.

A search committee meets today at CSN to recommend one of the finalists to the full Nevada System of Higher Education Board of Regents, which is to vote on that recommendation May 1.

As the search comes to a close, Richards’ insider knowledge is paying off big.

The university system chancellor and some of CSN’s most influential faculty members say they’re pleased with Richards’ nine-month performance at the helm — and at least one regent sees Richards as a shoo-in.

Five people have led CSN in as many years, and with school staff yearning for stability, Regent Jason Geddes thinks Richards will get the job.

“If he’s not the nominee, I’d be surprised,” Geddes said.

The contest is still open, however. Regents Chairman Michael Wixom and Regent Steve Sisolak, chairman of the regents’ search committee, said they viewed all three contenders as top-notch.

Several attendees at Wednesday’s forums said Richards would not be their top choice.

The interim chief’s competitors, Berton Glandon of Arapahoe Community College in Colorado and Laurence Spraggs of Broome Community College in New York, each served as president of two colleges. Richards’ only presidential experience comes from his interim stint at CSN.

Glandon and Spraggs, both 60 like Richards, have offered assurances that they don’t view CSN as a steppingstone to another job.

Still, Richards’ familiarity with CSN gives him a leg up. Speaking to students, faculty and staff, Spraggs acknowledged his first year “would be about getting to know you, the community.”

Despite Richards’ popularity among many groups at CSN, his candidacy has been a point of controversy as the search winds down. His contract for the interim presidency stated he did not intend to be a candidate for the permanent job.

Still, in late March, at Sisolak’s request, Richards sent application materials to a consultant heading the search. Sisolak said he wanted to consider Richards because, after the only internal applicant dropped out of the pool, members of the CSN community were pushing for Richards’ candidacy.

Richards said he had not intended to be a candidate until regents OK’d his inclusion, which they did in early April.

Search consultant Marti Cizek said she scrutinized Richards as much as she did all other applicants and found him to be a strong competitor.

Geddes voted against including Richards, saying he should have been left out in part to be fair to other contenders.

“We put the process forward and then to add someone at a late date doesn’t do the process justice,” Geddes said.

But Wixom said the regents’ job is to find the best leader, as opposed to sticking to a process for the sake of doing so.

Still, the late changes angered some onlookers. English professor Sherry Rosenthal questioned Richards publicly Wednesday about his becoming a candidate despite his original contract.

“If you didn’t keep your word on that, and you’re on the public record as saying one thing and now you’ve done another, why should we trust you?” said Rosenthal, who runs a blog critical of CSN’s leadership.

In the end, though, Rosenthal may be in the minority. Being an insider is an advantage only if a person manages to impress his potential bosses — and that is something Richards has done.