Will Trey 4 a "water study" The American Bank Center milk money? Did your "group charge the City of Corpus Christi 2x 4THAT "construction"? u4get@COX!

"I don't think students realize how powerful they are, and I want them to realize that," Garcia said.


Firm to search for Del Mar chief

Process of finding interim president could cost $34,000

By Israel Saenz Caller-Times
April 18, 2007


Del Mar College officials will have some extra help - and time - to find an interim college president.

Regents voted Tuesday to appoint a search firm to assist in selecting an interim president and extended departing leader Carlos A. Garcia's contract by two months to give search committee members more time to name a temporary leader.



The college will pay the Registry for College and University Presidents as much as $34,000 if a candidate is selected from its registry and serves a year. That amount is based on the average benefits package offered to presidents.

"The firm specializes in finding interim presidents and keep an active registry of over 100 candidates," said Trey McCampbell, presidential search committee co-chair. "The key thing is they will work with us in getting input on what we want in terms of an interim president."

Garcia, the college's president since June 2004, announced in February he would leave the college when his contract expires May 31. He now will leave July 31. McCampbell said regents have not decided whether to use a search firm for the permanent presidential search, which he said would begin once the interim leader takes office.

McCampbell said an interim president could serve about a year and would not be eligible for the permanent position. The college hopes to find a candidate with strong administrative experience at the collegiate level.

The college's last interim president, Vice President of Business and Finance Joe Alaniz, served as interim president 11 months before Garcia was selected.

The college did not hire a search firm to select Alaniz. McCampbell said regents decided to hire a firm for this search because the company has a pool of experienced candidates. Regents also did not want a current employee doing two jobs at once. While serving as interim president, Alaniz also held his position as vice president of business and finance.

"More and more colleges across the country are using firms," McCampbell said, adding that local candidates should apply through the search firm. "We want someone experienced."

The search firm fees will be paid, McCampbell said, at the annual rate of benefit expenses for a president, about $34,000 a year. He said the firm likely will be employed two to three months.

The Association of Governing Boards reports between 400 to 500 college and university presidents are hired each year, with about half of those involving the use of search firms.

The Registry for College and University Presidents contracts with more than 150 former college and university presidents and senior administrators in 41 states, according to the company's Web site. The site also states its database members, selected through a pre-screening process, have a collective 700-plus years in college and university presidential experience.

Garcia said he will use the extra two months to continue work with regents on completion of the $108 million capital bond program's building projects.

"That's probably the most pressing issue right now," he said. "I think we've done an effective job, but we're not finished."

Contact Israel Saenz at 886-3767 or HYPERLINK mailto:saenzi@caller.com saenzi@caller.com