By Jamil Oakford/ editor-in-chief
The firm hired to search for the next chancellor has started the search process and feels confident that a new chancellor can be hired by the fall.
Gold Hill Associates, the firm chosen by the TCC board Feb. 25, specializes in administration searches.
“A major strength of ours is that we only do searches for community college CEOs,” Gold Hill lead associate Steven Kinslow said. “And that’s because we all came out of community college.”
Kinslow started his educational and occupational career in community college. Having worked at Austin Community College for 34 years holding various positions, he also served as college president for six-and-a-half years.
“We ask for some form of input from the students, faculty and administration, or community, of what they’re looking for in a candidate,” Kinslow said.
From there, the firm will build a position profile so potential candidates will know the key characteristics that the board wants in a new chancellor.
“It usually takes four to six months, but in that period we’ll take six weeks to recruit,” Gold Hill president Preston Pulliams said.
The recruitment period means the firm will advertise in publications and search for candidates at conferences.
“From the responses, we get a candidate pool,” Pulliams said.
Kinslow said the tentative schedule for candidate interviews could start in late May. By June, the finalists will be chosen and can be made public.
“The community will host an open forum and will be able to see these individuals,” Kinslow said.
Kinslow is determined that Gold Hill Associates has the best understanding of a community college’s specific needs in a new chancellor.
“A CEO not only has to have a vision, they have a lot of community responsibility,” he said. “They’re expected to forge partnerships locally, they’re expected to be highly involved with business and industry trends within the geographical area.”
As the firm suspects its search will span four to six months, TCC’s board president Louise Appleman said that Gold Hill was a faster choice.
“Some of them were 10 months, but I didn’t want to put us through that,” Appleman said.
TCC is expected to pay $50,000 plus expenses to Gold Hill for the search, a figure that was firmly in the middle of two other search firms’ proposals, she said.
