Rockland Community College (RCC) has begun a national search for its 8th President after Dr. Michael A. Baston, who led the school for five years, accepted a new position in July of this year.
The RCC Board of Trustees issued a Request for Proposals (RFP) this summer, and after a thorough review of proposals and interviews, has announced the selection of Isaacson, Miller to lead the presidential search. The firm has five offices across the country and led the search that identified Dr. Baston.
Isaacson, Miller, one of the country’s premier executive search firms, has four decades of experience in recruiting senior leaders of colleges and universities, academic medical centers, foundations, preK-12 education, and education improvement organizations. They focus on supporting mission-driven organizations that make a difference in people’s lives.
Joseph Rand, a RCC Board member since 2013 and current Vice Chair, will serve as the Chair of the presidential search. “One of the reasons we selected Isaacson, Miller was their ability to identify and recruit exceptional candidates from a broad range of backgrounds across nonprofit, corporate, and government sectors. We were pleased with their efforts to identify our last president and we believe they will provide us with a list of exceptional candidates that we can choose from to lead RCC into the College’s exciting next chapter,” stated Rand.
Mr. Rand, who is Chief Creative Officer for Howard Hanna | Rand Realty and also a Trustee for the Village of Nyack, chaired RCC’s 2016 successful presidential search that culminated with Dr. Baston’s hiring. Five RCC Board of Trustees members will join Mr. Rand on the search committee: Ileana Eckert, Lynne Hilowitz, Grant Valentine, Elana Yeger, and student trustee, Rafhilene Frias-Sanchez.
“The College’s next president will be someone who understands and embraces our values of excellence, engagement, collaboration, social consciousness, diversity, and innovation. RCC has been a national leader in effective institutional collaborations that improve the lives of our students, and we expect that our new leader will build on the purpose driven educational opportunities that we have established and that have become hallmarks of an RCC education,” added Rand.
The Board is also working closely with representatives from the State University of New York to ensure compliance with established best practices for community colleges. Their guidance will ensure that the College adheres to the highest standards in executing the search and transition.
Before the search firm begins their process, the Board of Trustees, along with the Search Committee, will develop a presidential profile, to include key qualities and experience to look for in the new president. The search committee will include representation from the College’s various constituents including faculty, students, staff, members of the community, and alumni.
All individuals considered for the position will undergo careful review, reference checks, as well as internet and social media searches. The Board will then ultimately select which candidates to interview, and once the finalists are determined, it is then made public who is in the running for RCC’s next president. The process then moves on to campus visits, candidate forums, and interviews.
Once this process is complete, the Board of Trustees will meet and select the next president. The name of the individual is then sent to SUNY for approval. It is anticipated that this process will culminate in the spring of 2023.
The committee is committed to being transparent and keeping the RCC Community informed throughout the process. All details of the process will be outlined on this webpage https://sunyrockland.edu/about/presidential-search/
About Rockland Community College
Rockland Community College (RCC), located in Suffern New York, provides purpose driven educational opportunities in a supportive, affordable, and accessible environment, empowering individuals to positively transform themselves and their communities. RCC welcomes students from diverse backgrounds who appreciate small class sizes and personal attention from a distinguished, award-winning faculty that includes Fulbright scholars and SUNY Distinguished Professors. Many graduates go on to top universities to further their education on their own or through RCC’s institutional collaborations.
Established in 1959 and the only public higher education institution in Rockland County, RCC fosters an environment that attracts, recruits, supports, and retains faculty, staff, and students who value diversity. The College promotes a collegial and inclusive environment by recognizing, promoting, embracing, respecting, and celebrating the expansive range and dimensions of cultures, attitudes, ideas, and viewpoints contained within our campus community.
RCC is also proud to provide career training and professional development to adult learners looking to change careers or upgrade their skills through a variety of programs and educational opportunities including workforce training, certifications, and micro credentials. Many of the programs are developed with employers in the community in high demand industry areas to enable graduates to move into a new career upon graduation.
In addition to the main campus in Suffern, the College operates a center in Haverstraw and the Herbert Kurz Automotive Technology Center in Orangeburg. About 9,000 people are enrolled in credit and non-credit courses, and over 200,000 visit the campus each year for cultural, recreational and commercial events. More information can be found at sunyrockland.edu.
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