by Mary Rupert
Community members gave ideas tonight about the qualities they wanted to see in a new Kansas City Kansas Community College president.
That person, according to comments, should be: Someone who has years of experience and also is entrepreneurial-minded, someone with a vision of how to partner with secondary schools, someone who can work in partnership with the local business community, someone who is passionate, resilient and a risk-taker, and someone who can follow through and meet their commitments.
About nine persons attended a KCKCC listening session to voice their opinion on what qualities a college president should have. Another community meeting is planned at 9 a.m. Friday at the Main Kansas City, Kansas, Public Library, 635 Minnesota Ave.
Evelyn Criswell, who was recently elected to the KCKCC Board of Trustees, discussed the need for a president who has an entrepreneurial vision, and said the new president needs to be a person who follows through and meets commitments. She also said the new president should be extremely resilient and passionate about the college.
Jarred Fuhrman, principal of Basehor-Linwood High School, said he would like the new president to have a vision of how he or she can partner with the high schools. He would like to see organization in connection with the vision, and he also was in favor of more night classes. In addition, a work partnership is important, he said, as well as a partnership between schools and the college. He thought it was possible the community college was missing some students in recruiting.
About 50 students from Basehor-Linwood went to the technical school this year, he said.
“I’d love to help work with the college even more,” he said. “I’d love to see the college more involved in not just recruiting, but providing opportunities for kids. It’s going to be important for our district, moving forward, who that person is.”
Unless they hear from the community, they will not know what it is the community needs or wants, said Rosalyn Brown of the KCKCC Board of Trustees. She also discussed preparing students for the job market.
“We are proud of KCKCC,” Brown said. “We want what is best for the community. We are listening and waiting to do things the community needs.”
Murrel Bland, executive director of Business West, who attended the meeting, said he was concerned about the cost of educating students. He said some of the students at KCKCC need remedial reading and math, which could add to the cost of education. He added that a college president should be willing to have discussions with the school district, boards and college about this issue. He also was concerned about personnel turnover.
A former student at KCKCC said it was a great institution, and he thought the public schools needed to get on the same page as the college, and work together in partnership. He would like the cost of college to be cheaper, and he wanted the college to use innovative ideas to make it different from Johnson County and other colleges.
A Schlitterbahn staff member said the waterpark relies a lot on college students for seasonal employees. “It’s important to us as a business and important to the community as well,” he said.
Dr. Marsi Liddell, who led the community meeting Thursday night, said the search advisory committee has begun meeting. The position will be advertised, including in national educational publications, she said.
The committee will screen applications and interviews will be conducted. Three to four candidates will be recommended by the search committee as finalists, the finalists will be introduced on campus, and their names will be made public at that time, according to Liddell.
The selection of a president is expected in April by the KCKCC Board of Trustees, she said, and the new president should begin work in July.
The Pauly Group has been hired to conduct the presidential search, and it will be a national search.
The presidential search advisory committee, appointed by the KCKCC Board of Trustees, includes Trustees Rosalyn Brown and Ray Daniels; Irene Caudillo, Bob Davis, Greg Kindle, Richard Mabion, Mang Sonna, Jason Strickland, Gary Bradley-Lopez, Aliyah Shaw, Melissa Jones, Joe Mundt, Jerry Pope, Cheryl Runnebaum, Dr. Delfi Wilson, Deanne Yates and Dan Ward.
The event on Thursday was held to gather comments from the public as part of the presidential search process at KCKCC. The meeting was held at Schlitterbahn waterpark’s main building, and a second public meeting for community residents is planned from 9 a.m. to 10 a.m. Friday, Dec. 8, at the Main Kansas City, Kansas, Public Library, 625 Minnesota Ave.
Former college president Doris Givens has retired, and currently serving as interim president is Jackie Vietti.