Members of Columbia College’s presidential search committee say the college has selected the Washington D.C.-based recruiters Academic Search to help find Columbia College's next president – and the committee is aiming to introduce candidates by this Fall.
John Yonker chairs the search committee. He says two consultants from the firm visited the campus last week to perform interviews so that the committee can then build a profile for potential presidential matches. He says once the committee approves the profile, the firm will start looking for candidates over the summer. By late fall he says there is expected to be 10-12 candidates selected for offsite interviews.
Yonker says a key part of the process will involve connecting candidates for president with students and faculty: “But at the first of the year, we’ll bring the top three to four, maybe five candidates to the campus to meet everybody and for students and faculty and administrators and staff to meet this person – she or he – and based on their reactions and input, the search committee will make a decision,” Yonkers said.
Columbia College's Executive Vice President and Dean for Academic Affairs Terry Smith will serve as interim president during the search process.
The final decision on Columbia College’s next president will ultimately be decided by the college’s board of trustees.
