By Lindsey Luker
Published on February 13, 2008
The District Board of Trustees met March 11 and narrowed the eight PJC presidential candidates down to four. The final candidates are: Dr. Scott D. Elliott, Dr. Lars Hafner, Dr. James E. Martin and Dr. Charles E. Meadows.
“I think that we’ve got the willpower and the enthusiasm, that we are going to be successful in getting a very, very good president for this college,” Chairman Vincent R. Andry said.
The meeting began with Andry reviewing the desired qualities for PJC’s next president. Next, Dr. Isaac Brigham announced the findings from the background checks. All candidates were announced to be free of any criminal records or other unacceptable findings.
Board members then voted on the final four candidates and after the votes were tallied, Brigham came forward with the proposed interview process. The candidate interviews will start on Tuesday, March 18 and are expected to last through Wednesday, March 26.
The board members discussed what would be considered appropriate or inappropriate questions to ask the candidates. For example, it would be inappropriate to ask questions about a candidate’s religion or national origin.
Another important topic was the relevancy of the questions. All candidates must be asked the same questions to ensure fairness, so it is up to the board members to make those questions count.
“I think it is important that we get this right,” Board Member Carol Carlan said.
One particular issue that the board is concerned about is that two out of the final four candidates (Elliott and Hafner) have also applied for the president slot at Manatee Community College in Bradenton, Florida. This is something the board must keep in mind during the interview process.
Andry is optimistic.
“I’m excited about this process and I’m excited to be on this board,” he said.
The board will meet again on Tuesday, April 8, at noon. This is when the board will make their final decision.