Students sit in a classroom at Cleveland State Community College.IF YOU GOThe presidential search advisory committee meets Monday at 12:45 p.m. at the George R. Johnson Cultural Heritage Center in Room J113. After a public meeting, the panel will convene privately to begin candidate screening.
COMMITTEE MEMBERSBoard of Regents representativesTom Griscom, committee chairmanHoward RoddyDanni VarlanFaculty representativesMatthew Tolbert Faculty Senate presidentAllan GentryKaren WyrickNancy ThomasStudent representativesQuentin Murray, Student Senate presidentChristine Danh, Student Senate Vice presidentAdministration/support staff representativesKim Wills, Staff Senate presidentMichael Stokes, vice president of student servicesPatty Weaver, director of off-campus sitesAlumniDr. Jerry Richt, optometristBusiness communityGary Farlow, president and CEO of the chamber of commerceCommunity representativesColeman Foss, CEO SkyRidge Medical CenterAubrey Ector, SAP manager, Olin Corp.Jeff Zierenberg, manager of training and personnel development, Wacker
CLEVELAND, Tenn. - A 17-member presidential search advisory committee for Cleveland State Community College's next president will meet at the school Monday to review potential candidates.
The new president, who is expected to be named by the end of the year, will succeed Carl Hite. Hite has been president for 17 years.
"Cleveland State's president is very important," said Cleveland/Bradley Chamber of Commerce President and CEO Gary Farlow, who is the business representative on the panel.
The committee will be looking for candidates with significant experience in community college and higher education, he said.
Farlow said he is looking for someone who can continue providing a quality education for students planning to attend a four-year college, offering additional training and certification for the adult workforce and participating in technical learning programs for advanced manufacturing careers.
After Monday's meeting, the panel will narrow the list to a few finalists, who will visit the campus in late October and early November to participate in forums, receptions and interviews with the committee.
After that, Tennessee Board of Regents Chancellor John Morgan will announce a recommendation to the regents.
Hite said Cleveland State's Developmental Math Redesign Project, which has an interactive lab with a capacity for more than 88 students, is a "legacy of some kind."
In 2009, the program won the Bellweather Award, which recognizes outstanding and innovative community college programs in the U.S. and Canada. President Barack Obama praised the program in a 2010 speech at the University of Texas at Austin.
Paul Leach is based in Cleveland. Email him at paul.leach.press@gmail.com.