COD pushes on with search for president

Now that a committee identified the top qualities for the next College of DuPage president, the board of trustees is moving forward with its national search.

Advertisements for the job started appearing in both print and online publications and will continue through the start of October, Bill Troller, COD's public information director, said Monday night.

Based on the tentative timeline trustees established, they would see 10 candidates selected by the search consultant sometime around October 13, and narrow that field to between three and five finalists that night. That task is the job of Board Chairman Micheal McKinnon, Vice Chairman Mark Nowak and Trustee David Carlin.

The finalists will visit the full board for interviews the following week, and one or two finalists will be brought to the school in early November for public forums, Interim President Harold McAninch said.

A DuPage County group, though, urged trustees Monday to open up the process of selecting the finalists by allowing a recently disbanded group to participate. It was a group of about a dozen people, representing various elements of the college from teachers, to administrators, students and the foundation who developed the profile of characteristics the next president should possess. They were assembled for just that one task.

"Let those who developed the criteria do the vetting," said John Hazard of Downers Grove, who said he represented DuPage United, a group that promotes social change.

Trustees did not respond to the suggestion.

Former COD President Sunil Chand was removed from his job by trustees in May, and instead given the position of president emeritus. Longtime President Harold McAninch was then hired on an interim basis while the board conducted a search for a new full-time leader.

The board plans to have a new president in place by Jan. 1.