As America gets ready to decide who will run the country for the next four years, Bakersfield College is conducting another kind of presidential election.
A BC presidential search committee is working on electing a permanent campus president. Dr. Lincoln Hall is currently serving as interim president, and will step down when a permanent president is found, likely before this school year ends.
Hall, 75, was named BC interim president on July 1 following a special meeting conducted by the Kern Community College District Board of Trustees. He has served as BC dean of instruction, president of Porterville College and vice president of learning at the same campus. In addition, he served as superintendent of College of the Sequoias and president of Reedley College.
Hall, who dismissed the idea of staying on permanently, said he is enjoying the one-year position. He came out of retirement to serve as interim president.
“When they mentioned BC, I couldn’t say no,” Hall said. “I remembered how enjoyable my time at BC had been and what a positive experience I had here.”
Hall, who is not directly involved in the process of electing a permanent president, said his best advice to the new president, whoever that turns out to be, is to spend the first year getting to know the college.
“You learn a lot more by talking to people on campus,” Hall said. “I would tell (the new president) to get out of the office every once in a while, and as difficult as it may be, get out and eat with students and faculty.”
Hall said he plans to retire for good when a new president is elected. “My wife and I plan to take train trips across Canada,” he said. “And I (also) will be doing a lot of yard work and a lot of reading.”
Among those on the presidential search committee is Nan Gomez-Heitzberg, the dean of student learning.
She said the committee, which is made up of faculty members, administration officials, a community member and a student, has met several times already. The committee recently developed brochures that will be used to advertise the position.
“(The brochures) will be sent out to other community colleges within our district and to other districts,” Gomez-Heitzberg said. “It is also being advertised in the (Bakersfield) Californian, of course … and we have three or four Internet distributions.”
Even with advertisements and brochures, however, many students are unaware of the presidential search.
“I didn’t know about the search,” said Lizeth Barrera, 20. “I’m not really interested in administrative issues,” she added.
The committee has hired a consultant to help in the process of identifying candidates. Though there is no clear timetable for when a new president will be chosen, candidates likely will be interviewed in early 2005.
“Interviews will probably take place the first week of February,” Gomez-Heitzberg said. Then the committee will make its recommendations, but “ultimately the board of directors will make the final decision,” she said.
“As long as it doesn’t affect pricing, I don’t care who the president (of BC) is,” said another student, Jayson Chi, 18.
The committee is made up of Gomez-Heitzberg, Greg Chamberlain, Walt Howald, Bob Shimmin, Nancy Perkins, Karen Sallee, Charles West, Morgan Clayton, Susan McQuerrey and Michael Gutierrez.