Photo Illustration by HAYDEN SPLAWN |
By ANNA MONROE
Student Reporter
The search for a new Amarillo College president continues. The AC board of regents held a meeting on April 23 and voted to take no action regarding the two presidential finalists, Dr. Andrew Bowne and Dr. Laura Boyer.
The search for the next president is now closed and the board will revisit the search at a later date. Vice President of Student Affairs, Denese Skinner, will continue to serve as interim president.
The meeting was held on the Washington Street Campus, in the Palo Duro Room of the College Union Building. Following their closed session, Anette Carlisle, chair of the board, called for a motion to choose
a candidate and no regents made a motion to nominate a finalist for the position.
Communications Coordinator, Joe Wyatt, said feed-back was submitted to the board after both candidates answered questions during open forums on campus. “The board of regents announced that their decision, or non-decision, was based on that feedback.”
On Wednesday, April 24, Skinner sent out a school wide email regarding the status of the presidential search, which included a statement from the board.
“The most fundamental role of the Amarillo College board of regents is to choose a president to lead our institution, and that responsibility is not taken lightly. As you may know, there were two finalists identified for the position of president. Unfortunately, one finalist withdrew due to personal reasons.”
“After careful consideration, the board elected not to move forward with a motion to consider the
remaining finalist, nor reconsider others from the original candidate pool.”
“Your survey feedback was extensively considered and pertinent to this decision. Additionally, this determination stems, in part, from our confidence in the exceptional leadership and operational excellence currently in place at Amarillo College. We believe that our institution is in a strong position —thanks to the dedication and hard work of our faculty, staff, administrators and Interim President Skinner— which does not merit a rushed decision. We remain committed to the process of thoughtfully and intentionally selecting a candidate who will uphold the values and vision of Amarillo College while lead-ing us forward with continued success.”
Officials said both candidates are welcome to reapply once the next search is open, but the board is waiting to make a decision on AC’s next president. Since a finalist wasn’t chosen, Gold Hill Associates Search Firm will continue to work with the board during the selection process.
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