Nisson announces retirement
Search for next president begins
A nationwide search has begun. A search to find the brightest, the best, the most brilliant. And finalists will be getting ready soon for in-depth interviews to be held right here at Umpqua Community College.
No, American Idol isn’t coming to town, nor is Survivor calling a new cast. The Board of Trustees has begun the search for a new president now that Blaine Nisson has announced his retirement at the end of fall term. Rita Cavin, former president of Linn Benton Community College has been selected as interim president.
Student Donnie Evans, when asked what qualities he would most like to see in a new UCC president says, “The quality of teachers needs to be kept to the highest standard. The instructors here are top-notch and I don’t want to see that change.”
Stana Trillo, a records and registration clerk, believes that “consideration of the whole picture when making decisions that affect the staff as well as the student body” is key.
History professor, Charles Young adds “The quality I would like to see in a new president is a willingness to seek out direction on college matters from as wide a range of perspectives and expertise as possible, from our students, community, faculty and classified staff as well as administrators.”
These and other considerations will be paramount on the candidates’ minds when the top 8-to-10 are brought to UCC to be interviewed by what Nisson termed a “Noah’s Ark committee” that will be selected from a broad array of people. The intent is to include all groups affected by the selection process. This includes faculty, college staff, students and the community.
After reviewing the recommendations, the Board of Trustees will make their decision.
The Board’s goal is to have the new president in place by April. The Board is prepared, however, in case the new president is unable to meet this deadline. Interim president Cavin may be able to stay a few extra weeks and UCC Board of Trustees Chair Betty Tamm feels confident that college administrators are more than up to the task of handling matters for a few weeks without a president’s direct guidance.
When asked about the projected cost of the search, Tamm says, “There is a little bit of a gulp factor.” Given that the national average length of service for community college presidents is five to six years, according to Tamm, Nisson’s retirement was not an entirely unexpected event. Tamm explained that the college also maintains a contingency fund to help pay for these sort of anticipated but unscheduled events.
Neither student tuition, nor fees are expected to be impacted by the transition.
The UCC Board of Trustees has selected search firm Association of Community College Trustees to conduct the nationwide search for candidates. ACCT typically works very closely with a school to select the right finalists for the board’s approval. After ACCT meets with the Board of Trustees to obtain criteria for the search they will prepare a brochure and advertise nationally to attract interest in the position. Current president Nisson explained that some of the main selling points will be the beautiful campus and community and the fact that UCC was recently ranked number 13 among U.S. community colleges. He also referred to UCC’s excellent credit rating.
Most college presidents are hired externally after having served as a vice-president at two or three different colleges. The board hopes to hire a candidate with experience but feels that a person who is the right fit for UCC and Douglas County is the most important goal. When considering whether a president from the Northwest would be best for UCC, Nisson reflected that someone with “an understanding of people in rural communities is key. Someone who understands how people in rural communities appreciate one another as neighbors and support their communities” is more important than being specifically from the Northwest.
Tamm assures students that “the trustees will do everything they can to keep everyone informed” regarding the decision making process.
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