Harper College names interim president
The man guiding Harper College through its presidential search will step into the role himself - at least for a few months.
The school board on Wednesday named John Pickelman, chancellor emeritus of the Houston, Texas-based North Harris Montgomery Community College District, interim president.
He replaces Robert Breuder, who resigned more than seven months early to take the top job at Glen Ellyn-based College of DuPage. President at Harper since 1998, Breuder's last day on campus was Monday.
Pickelman is expected to make his way north within a couple of weeks. He's a consultant with Academic Search Inc., the firm charged with finding Breuder's replacement. He's led focus groups on campus, met with many faculty and staff, and is reaching out to potential candidates.
"He won't have that huge learning curve because he already has familiarity with the college," said Harper Board President Laurie Stone, who will talk with Pickelman and attorneys to set a salary. "I had a conversation with him and it was like a voila moment."
Pickelman led Texas's third-largest community college district for 17 years until his retirement in 2007. The district, which serves 1 million-plus residents, is composed of five colleges with a total student head count of more than 46,000. Harper's, by comparison, is a little more than 40,000 students.
The current timeline still calls for Harper to hire its new leader in spring. But that doesn't mean the college's agenda will be put on hold, Stone said. Moving forward with facilities renovations and a four-year degree program in public safety remain priorities.
"Our agenda is pretty well set for the coming months, and I don't see any big deviations," Stone said. "The most important thing is that he has the ability to collaborate and help us through a transition."
Trustees on Wednesday also approved Breuder's separation agreement, the details of which have yet to be released. Stone said there was no change to his five-year, $508,000 retirement package.