Progress Reports

The COTO Presidential Search Committee met on Monday, August 29; Tuesday, September 6; Wednesday, September 7; and on Thursday, September 8. Mr. Kennye Price, President of Career Search Associates, the Board of Trustee's search consultant, reported to the Committee that over 40 applications were received and that all of them had been rated using a rubric form that was based on the presidential profile adopted by the Board. Mr. Price presented copies of the application documents of the top twenty candidates that met the qualifications and the Committee discussed each one and selected seven candidates to interview. Based on the seven hour-long interviews using internet-based WebX interface, the Committee identified five outstanding candidates to recommend to the Board of Trustees.

The College of the Ouachitas Board of Trustees met in special session on Monday, September 19, 2011, at 5:00 p.m. to hear the report of the fifteen-member Presidential Search Committee presented by Ms. Jean Harper, Chair of the Committee and Chair of the Board. Shortly after convening and receiving the Committee's report, the Board chose to recess the meeting and went into Executive Session to discuss the recommended candidates and tentative dates for face to face interviews. At 5:50 p.m. the Board ended the recess and reconvened their public meeting. After a motion and a second the Board voted unanimously to invite the following three candidates to Malvern, Arkansas and the COTO campus for tours of the campus and the community, a public reception, a formal presentation by the candidate and a formal interview with the Board of Trustees:

	Dr. Michael DeLong (Ms. Alison DeLong), Vice President of Academic Affairs, Ozarka College, Melbourne, Arkansas on Thursday, October 20, 2011.
	Dr. Steve Rook, Vice President of Academic and Student Affairs, Rich Mountain Community College, Mena, Arkansas on Wednesday, October 19, 2011.
	Dr. Stephen Schoonmaker (Ms. Tonya Schoonmaker), Vice President of Instruction, Clatsop Community College, Astoria, Oregon on Monday, October 24, 2011.

The Board of Trustees hope to finalize the appointment of a new COTO President before the end of October, 2011 so as to give the new person and family adequate time to transition to the College and the Malvern community early in the new year 2012.

While in Malvern on the specific dates indicated above, the candidates will be very busy. The tentative schedule for each of the interview days is as follows:

9:00 a.m. - Arrive on Campus, proceed to the President's office for greetings and a welcome followed by a tour of the COTO campus and informal visits with faculty and staff in the major divisions and departments.

12 Noon - COTO Board room for an informal lunch with the Board of Trustees.

1:00 p.m. - A driving tour of the community hosted by members of the Board then return to the COTO campus.

3:00 p.m. - Meeting in the COTO Library Conference room with the COTO Faculty Council.

3:30 p.m. - Reception in the COTO Great Room. The general public, faculty and staff of the College are invited

4:00 p.m. - Candidate makes a formal presentation (+/- 20 minutes) to those assembled during the reception followed by an open question and answer session. The topic of the presentation is: VISION: The importance of visionary leadership and the role of the College President in providing it.

5:00 p.m. -The candidate meets with the Board of Trustees in Executive Session in the COTO Board Room.

The Board of Trustees invites all faculty and staff and the general public to meet these candidates during the tours and/or during the reception, hear their formal presentations, and ask questions of them during a Q & A sessions after their respective presentations.

The Board feels that all three of these candidates are qualified, have the right credentials, have had successful experiences in significant two-year college administrative posts and have great potential to provide executive leadership for the continued growth and development of the College. The Board also recognizes that there is a certain culture in the five-county service area, in the Malvern community and in the College itself. The Board wants to select the person who is the perfect fit for this particular situation and job to maximize the potential for success.