On Tuesday Nov. 8 in room D106, a student forum for the Bellevue College presidential search took place. This was the second student forum for this upcoming presidential selection.
The forum was directed by Board of Trustees members Lisa Chin, Chair, and Steve Miller, Vice Chair, to hear feedback and comments on the presidential profile along with other comments regarding the search for the president.
At the forum, attendees were given packets that explained what the college was looking for in a president as well as an overview description of the college. The description serves as a set of guidelines as of now, but BC is looking to make the necessary changes to alter it for current times.
BC’s current goal as of right now is to put out advertisements looking for presidential candidates by December and to eventually have applications available shortly afterwards in January. As of now, it is imperative to the college that the role of the president is clearly established.
“The question is, what kind of leader do you think we need for Bellevue College going forward in the future?” asked Miller. The Board of Trustees involved students in the process of choosing a suitable president to lead the school.
Along with a presidential advisory search committee made up of fourteen chosen individuals, BC will also be working with search consultant Preston Pulliams of Gold Hill Associates, a community college presidential search team.
Chin and Miller opened the forum for questions and comments regarding the presidential selection. BC student Brett Gibbs suggested that the president should help the school “have some sort of integration of relationship with the Global Innovation Exchange,” a program that many other colleges are involved in. He also suggested “a greater four-year university or college presence on the Eastside.”
Laura Millikan, another student attendee, noted that Bellevue was the “furthest east college.” She suggested to expand the college to Issaquah to accommodate students who live farther away from the college.
When asked to clarify what the college needed, Lisa Chin said “vision is always affected by the leader of a college. As the second or third largest college in the state and the largest of the community colleges we have a mission to look hard at innovation and look at the needs of the community that we serve. The community has shifted quite a bit in the last five years.” A new president would hopefully lead the school and clear the way in terms of uncertainty regarding what direction to go in.
There will be more upcoming forums towards the end of the month to give the Board of Trustees feedback. Additionally, online forums and surveys will be available online for people to participate and give comments. Visit the Presidential Search page on the Bellevue College website and check for updates on the Board of Trustees’ progress.