Search for permanent chancellor postponed

By Sara Bloomberg

The Guardsman

 

 

As City College deals with trying to hold onto its accreditation, the search for a new permanent chancellor has been postponed.

 

The current interim chancellor, Pamila Fisher, was hired in May after Don Griffin retired earlier than expected due to a brain tumor and an advisory search committee formed to participate in the search for a replacement.

 

But now the nationwide hunt for a permanent replacement is on hold, according to an August 16 email from John Rizzo, president of the board of trustees.

 

Instead, a long term interim chancellor will be selected to take over for Fisher when she leaves her post at the end of October.

 

“We’re in the middle of this accreditation effort,” Rizzo told The Guardsman. “We’re not in regular mode.”

 

He added that the school needs someone to help guide it through the rigors of accreditation.

 

In March, the board approved a $40,000 contract with Gold Hill Associates, a company dedicated to community college presidential searches.

 

“We will not be paid unless we are successful in the search,” Dr. Preston Pulliams, a consultant with Gold Hill, told The Guardsman earlier this summer.

 

It’s still unknown whether the college with continue to use Gold Hill and if the candidates will be chosen internally or not, Rizzo said.

 

Tim Johnson contributed to this report.