Policies & Procedures

Policy: 1007

Pursuant to N.J.S.A. 18A:64A-12, the Board of Trustees is granted the power to “[t]o appoint and fix the compensation and term of office of a president of the college. . . .” In the event of a vacancy or anticipated vacancy in the Office of President, the Board of Trustees (“Board”) will be responsible for determining the nature and scope of the presidential search process in the manner it deems best suited for the recruitment of a qualified replacement.

The Board will be responsible for assessing and determining the needs of the College as well as developing criteria for the selection of a new president which may be completed formally or informally.

The nature and scope of the search process will depend on the circumstances, for example, the Board establishes that one or more potential candidate(s) are already known to the Board and potentially have the professional leadership skills to fulfill the requirements of the College. In such a case, the search process should reflect the steps deemed necessary by the Board to assess the potential candidate(s), such as conducting appropriate due diligence and obtaining input from the College community.

In other instances, the Board may determine a more extensive search process is necessary to assess the needs of the College and/or to develop a sufficient pool of candidates to permit a selection of individuals meeting those requirements. The following non-exhaustive list provides additional individual elements which the Board may, at its discretion, deem appropriate to include in a presidential search process.

• The Board may consult with or engage a recognized higher education group, agency, or association to assist with and/or advising in one or more aspects of the search process.

• The Board may create a search committee, consisting either solely of Board members or of Board members and/or others, the purpose of which is to make recommendations to the Board of Trustees for its consideration. If a search committee created by the Board is to contain persons other than Trustees, the Board should strive to ensure that it is broadly representative of the College.

• The Board may undertake, on its own or by and through a designated search committee, to consult with various groups within the institutional community in determining the appropriate presidential selection criteria.

• The Board may elect to publicly advertise the position of the presidency. Where public advertisement is made, the selection of print publications or other media, whether national or regional in scope, should be designed to assist in the development of a pool of qualified candidates.

References:

N.J.S.A. 18A 64A-12, General Powers of the Board