Harper chief to COD a done deal?

Harper College President Robert Breuder is in negotiations to become the new president of the College of DuPage.

The 64-year-old Breuder is apparently the leading contender among five finalists and is now in talks over a contract with COD, Harper College spokesman Phil Burdick confirmed.

Breuder was extensively quoted in another news report saying he was offered the job last week and is in the midst of negotiations over contract details. He declined comment to the Daily Herald Tuesday and referred all calls to the College of DuPage.

At COD, however, some trustees seemed caught off guard by Breuder apparently making his own announcement.

COD attorney Ken Florey confirmed the college trustees are negotiating with at least one finalist, but he declined to name Breuder as that person.

"The board is in discussions with the presidential candidates to determine if they can focus on mutually agreeable contract terms," he said. "It's a fluid process that starts with the lead candidate, and if those discussions do not come to a point where we can bring a positive report to the board, we will talk to the next candidate."

It's highly unusual for any candidate to announce their selection before a contract is signed. The COD board has not taken a public vote on any candidate, something they have to do to approve a work agreement and hire a new president.

Trustees last met in closed session Oct. 23 after interviewing all five candidates.

Trustee Joseph Snyder said Tuesday he understood after that meeting that the board was "doing research" on two or three candidates.

"I'd be a little surprised that decisions are made, but that's OK," he said, declining to comment on whether Breuder was the top choice.

Trustee Kathy Wessel said, "I am stunned ... that this article appeared." She said she hasn't talked to anyone on the board since last Thursday's meeting and would not comment on whether Breuder was, in fact, chosen by the board to be its primary candidate.

Trustee Kory Atkinson declined to comment on any of the candidates, or the board's discussions over a new president. No other trustees returned reporter's calls.

COD has been searching for a new president since May, when the board ousted Sunil Chand. They have said they intend to hire a new president by Jan. 1 and last week brought in the finalists for interviews and public forums.

Rumors, though, began circulating shortly after Chand was reassigned that the board was looking to hire Breuder. Breuder dismissed those reports and said he only decided shortly before the filing deadline to throw his hat into the ring.

Glenn Hansen, the COD faculty association president, said that while that might be true, Tuesday's news now puts the school in a difficult situation.

"I wish the board had handled this better," he said.

"If everybody was saying Breuder was going to be (the board's) choice, I wish (trustees) would have been more transparent in saying, 'We thought he'd be a good applicant.'

"Now they have to respond to criticism of, 'I told you so.' "

The Harper College president since 1998, Breuder was already set to retire from the Palatine-based school on June 30, 2009.

For this school year, Breuder is earning $247,804. In 2006, he was the state's fifth highest paid community college president. Chand's base pay when he left COD was $200,000.

Reached Tuesday, Harper board President Laurie Stone said it would be "premature" to discuss whether trustees will be willing to release him from his contract.

"The board will consider it, I'm sure, but this was news to me today as I'm sure it was to many people," Stone said. "We haven't had an official discussion about what he's seeking."

Releasing him from the contract would save the school about $144,000.

The search for a replacement at Harper won't be hurried, Stone said. Officials are still shooting for spring 2009 to make a selection and an interim president will be appointed if Breuder leaves prematurely.

"We want to give every opportunity for good candidates to come forward," she said. "We'd be shortchanging ourselves (to rush)."

Stone also discounts the notion that Breuder's early departure would factor into Tuesday's election, where Harper is asking residents to contribute $153.6 million for repairs and renovations to campus buildings.

"Our campus master plan and referendum were unanimously approved by the board and the public has known for some time we're conducting a presidential search," she said. "I believe the community will trust us to be good stewards of their dollars."

College: Breuder planned to retire next year