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The Board of Education is pleased to announce that we have begun the search to identify the next President of Columbia Gorge Community College (CGCC). The Board is committed to conducting an equitable, inclusive, and transparent national search that will attract a strong and diverse pool of candidates from throughout Oregon and the nation.

The Board has selected the Association of Community College Trustees (ACCT) to assist us with the Presidential search process. ACCT’s assistance will include providing support with the development of the Presidential Profile, recruiting highly competitive candidates, and working extensively with the Board. ACCT has conducted over 750 community college searches and brings a wealth of knowledge and expertise to our process. ACCT’s mission is to strengthen community college governance through education and advocacy. Dr. Luke Robins will serve as our ACCT Search Consultant and will assist the Board and College community throughout this important process. His bio is located at: Luke Robins, Ph.D.

Electronic Survey - Presidential Profile Development

The entire CGCC community is invited and encouraged to participate in an electronic survey to provide input on the qualities, characteristics, and qualifications we are seeking in our next President, as well as the opportunities and challenges facing CGCC in the years to come. The anonymous responses to the survey will be used to inform the development of the draft Presidential Profile.

The survey is available here: https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/columbia-gorge-community-college-presidential-search

Please submit your survey feedback no later than 12:00 p.m. (Pacific) on Thursday, March 16, 2023.

The Presidential Search Committee

The Board of Education is working to appoint a broad-based and representative Presidential Search Committee. The Committee will review the confidential applications, interview semifinalist candidates, and identify the final candidates to be submitted to the full Board of Education for consideration. Once finalized, the membership will be shared with the CGCC community.

Final Candidates

The Board will interview the final candidates and all finalists will participate in open forums at Columbia Gorge Community College. We anticipate the open forums taking place in early June and we will provide the dates, times, and location once they are confirmed. All employees, students, and community members will be invited to attend the open forums. Feedback forms will be provided to all attendees, and the completed forms will be collected at the end of each forum and provided to the Board for review as part of its deliberation process.

Recruitment

Our recruitment efforts will involve an open and thorough national search seeking qualified candidates from all regions of the country. ACCT specializes in one-to-one recruitment of community college leaders. Additionally, to assist with this process, advertisements will be placed in the Chronicle of Higher Education and other major publications and websites.

Presidential Search Webpage

The CGCC website will include information on all aspects of the search, both for the College community and candidates. The Presidential search webpage will be developed in the coming weeks and will include key information including the timeline, regular progress reports, information on how to apply, etc.

We will continue to keep you updated on this important process. If you have any questions or suggestions, please feel free to reach out to our ACCT Search Consultant: Luke Robins, Ph.D., ACCT Search Consultant, ACCT Search Consultant, lrobins57@gmail.com, (501) 276-0996 (mobile).