Posts Categorized: President

Acting Leaders at RISD and Online Learning Consortium Get Permanent Posts; Wheaton’s Crutcher Heads South

Comings and Goings ... Rhode Island School of Design’s Board of Trustees appointed furniture designer and interim President Rosanne Somerson to be the college's 17th president. The board of directors of the Online Learning Consortium (OLC), formerly The Sloan Consortium, named acting chief operations officer Thomas Hargis to the post on a permanent basis, and Karen Pedersen, most recently ...

New Chair at UMass; Rose Rambles to Bowdoin; Changing Principals at Exeter

Woolridge Comings and Goings ... Massachusetts Gov. Charlie Baker appointed Victor Woolridge to chair the University of Massachusetts Board of Trustees. A vice president of Cornerstone Real Estate Advisers and current UMass trustee, Woolridge will succeed Henry M. Thomas III, as chair. Thomas, president of the Urban League of Springfield, will stay on the UMass board. Woolridge's first prio...

Longtime Maine CC Leader Resigns Under Pressure from Guv

Comings and Goings ... John Fitzsimmons, president of the Maine Community College System for almost 25 years, resigned under pressure from Gov. Paul LePage, who criticized him for being unresponsive to the governor’s higher education priorities. System trustees expressed support for Fitzsimmons shortly before he stepped down. The Connecticut Board of Education named Dianna Wentzell to le...

Caret Leaving UMass for Maryland; Charter School Advocate Named Mass Ed Secy

Comings and Goings ... The University of Maryland confirmed that Robert Caret will resign as president of the University of Massachusetts system to take over as the new Maryland chancellor. Massachusetts Gov.-elect Charlie Baker named James A. Peyser, a charter school advocate and former chair of the state Board of Education, to be his secretary of education. The 17-campus University of North C...

Lawmakers Union-ize … Plus

Comings and Goings ... Former speaker of the Connecticut House of Representatives Christopher G. Donovan was hired to be a field representative with the Connecticut Education Association, the state's largest teachers union. Another legislative leader, Donald E. Williams Jr., the outgoing Democratic leader of the Connecticut Senate was recently named the association's deputy director of profession...

A Lesson in Costs

At NEBHE's recent board meeting in Stowe, Vt., University of Vermont President Tom Sullivan gave a brief lesson on higher education cost drivers. The top cost drivers, Sullivan said, at least at bricks-and-mortar institutions like his, are: 1) compensation of faculty and staff, including employee benefits; 2) student financial aid; 3) facilities of quality to attract students, includin...

MCLA’s Grant Named Chancellor at UNC Asheville; UMA’s Handley to Nat’l U

Mary Grant Comings and Goings ... The University of North Carolina Board chose Mary K. Grant to be chancellor of UNC Asheville, the state's public liberal arts university, effective Jan. 5, 2015. Grant, the president of Massachusetts College of Liberal Arts since 2002 and recipient of NEBHE's 2014 Massachusetts State Merit Award, will succeed Anne Ponder who served as UNC Asheville chancellor fo...

Maine Changes

Comings and Goings ... University of Maine System Chancellor James H. Page announced that University of Southern Maine President Theo Kalikow will leave that post on July 18 and join the system office as president emerita and acting vice chancellor. In that position, she will undertake a systemwide community engagement initiative through June 30, 2015, when her employment contract ends. The Main...

New Prez at NHTI, Concord’s Community College; Goodman to Head Center for Policy Analysis

Susan Dunton Comings and Goings ... The Community College System of New Hampshire Board of Trustees appointed Susan Dunton to be the next president of NHTI, Concord’s Community College. Dunton's experience in college administration, academic affairs and student services spans three decades at institutions including Lesley College, the Harvard Divinity School and Fisher College. The Univer...

Donovan Leaving VSC; UMaine Prez to Ball State

Comings and Goings ... Vermont State Colleges (VSC) Chancellor Tim Donovan announced he will step down on Dec. 31, six months before the end of his contract. He served as chancellor for five years and previously led the Community College of Vermont. Separately, the VSC  board elected Martha O'Connor of Brattleboro to succeed Gary Moore as its chair. UMaine President Paul Ferguson announced ...