By Steve Knight/editor-in-chief
Help Wanted: Chief executive officer for a growing community college district in Tarrant County, Texas, consisting of five campuses with a student enrollment of more than 44,000 and an yearly operating budget of $350 million.
TCC board members began work finding the district’s next chancellor during an open workshop Nov. 2.
But board members must agree on the chancellor’s job description and a list of required and desired attributes before a search can commence.
“If we don’t get this right, nothing else will matter,” board Vice President Bobby McGee said. “We must establish the criteria for what we are looking for.”
Most board members agree that the next chancellor must build an educational partnership and collaborate with the community.
In an e-mail prior to the meeting, board member Joe Hudson said TCC’s next leader should “be willing to engage in conversation with community leaders when making decisions that have an impact on the community.”
Board President Louise Appleman said they would search for a strong, decisive leader, but not an autocratic decision-maker.
“Most important is a willingness to work with and empower the next level of management,” she said. “Give the deans and presidents the opportunity to do their jobs.”
Board members voiced concerns about management style and experience.
“Be willing to adopt a bottom-up management style that allows staff members to have meaningful input into the budget process, allocation of capital expenditures and the day-to-day operations of their particular area of responsibilities,” Hudson said.
Board member Randall Canedy said the next chancellor must delegate duties and “surround himself with highly qualified individuals and empower them.”
Gary Cumbie, interim executive assistant to the chancellor, said in an e-mail Nov. 5 that the public can comment and give opinions on qualifications, experience, characteristics and attributes for the next chancellor on the district’s official blog, TCC Buzz, accessible on the district Web site.
On Nov. 9, Appleman sent a copy of the board’s report from the workshop to all TCC employees.
The next scheduled board meeting is Nov. 19.
Administrators said the board would conduct a workshop sometime next week to compose and approve a new chancellor’s job description.
