BLINN BOARD APPROVES CRITERIA FOR SELECTING NEXT DISTRICT PRESIDENT

  

The Blinn College Board of Trustees approved the criteria it will use to select the 15th president in the College’s 131-year history during a special board meeting today.

The profile outlined the following expectations for Blinn’s next district president:

• Serve as an effective spokesperson and passionate advocate for the College throughout the entire service region and promote the community college movement throughout Texas while working with leaders at the local, state and federal levels.
• Actively seek input from all constituents and continue to develop cross-campus and cross-department communication.
• Unify the campuses as one college while simultaneously recognizing the different needs of each campus and the rich diversity of the communities served throughout the District.
• Manage current and expected growth including educational programs, services, facilities, resources and actively plan for the immediate development in Brazos County and future anticipated development throughout the service area.
• Build strong alliances with local business and industry in order to meet growing educational needs of the local workforce.
• Strategically lead efforts to strike an effective balance of allocating existing and potential resources.
• Identify, develop, and promote all educational pathways to serve the constituents of the College to include both workforce certificate and credential programs.

The College’s preferred qualifications for the next district president include:

• Earned doctorate from a regionally accredited institution is highly preferred.
• Progressive successful experience as a senior-level college administrator.
• College-level classroom teaching experience, preferably recent classroom teaching experience.

Further candidate characteristics include:

• A leader and manager with tremendous foresight and experience in growth management, planning and prioritizing the College’s needs.
• A visionary who can define a path and stay the course, one who is determined to make a long-term commitment to the college.
• An inclusive leader who is visible and accessible throughout both the College District and the community, one who practices genuine collaboration with faculty, administration and staff.
• A student-centered leader who is dedicated to the comprehensive community college mission, including rigorous academics and expansive workforce and health science programs leading to student success.
• A higher education leader who serves as a change agent focused on strategic transformational programs and opportunity to bridge educational and institutional gaps between Blinn College and four-year institutions (including partnerships between Texas A&M, Baylor, and Sam Houston State University and other public and private institutions).
• An academic leader who understands and values the significant partnership between Texas A&M and Blinn College.
• A strategic planner who understands and values the importance of institutional effectiveness and tying assessment, data and budgetary decisions together.
• A skillful manager with extensive experience working with financial documents and large complex budgets.
• An academic leader who values shared governance and transparency and works collaboratively with administrators, faculty, staff and students.
• A community-minded leader who is experienced at fostering and developing partnerships with business and industry, with special attention to the expansion and success of workforce education programs.
• An advocate with extensive experience working with a state legislature and governor’s office.
• A fundraiser, adept at cultivating donors, leading capital campaigns and working with college foundations and as well as other funding entities.
• A technologically sophisticated administrator, experienced with prioritizing and implementing college-wide technology, college-wide software and distance learning.
• An individual with a comprehensive understanding of and demonstrated commitment to supporting diversity, including the international dimensions of higher education.
• An academic leader who is knowledgeable of and experienced with accreditation processes.
• A collaborator who will continue to develop the strong existing relationships with K-12 system and dual credit programs.
• A civic-minded individual who will provide leadership at community and regional organizations, while balancing the day-to-day needs of the College.
• A committed educator who will work effectively with an elected Board of Trustees.
• A student-focused leader who will engage with students and support and encourage involvement in student activities.
• An individual of impeccable integrity who is an exceptional listener, open-minded, trustworthy, honest, has high moral standards and is receptive to new ideas.

The criteria was developed using input from public forums on the College’s Brenham and Bryan campuses. There will be opportunities for the public to meet with the final candidates in open forums and provide feedback to the Board of Trustees.

Blinn’s 14th district president, Dr. Harold Nolte, announced his retirement in September, and in December Blinn named Dr. Ana M. “Cha” Guzman its interim president. For more updates on Blinn’s presidential search, visit: www.blinn.edu/president_search.

Story Courtesy of Blinn College