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Eastern Gateway gears up for presidential search
By Denise Dick
YOUNGSTOWN
A tentative timeline calls for Eastern Gateway Community College trustees to select a new president by March.
That time frame is contingent upon everything falling into place, said John T. Gilmore of Steubenville, trustee chairman and one of two trustees who serves on the search committee.
“We’ve given ourselves ample time to move,” he said. “We also have to be fair to the applicant who might accept. They might need more lead time.”
President Laura Meeks announced earlier this month that she would retire in July 2015.
A 13-member search committee will start the process, and the college hired the Association of Community College Trustees Search Consultants of Washington, D.C., for about $30,000 to assist with the search. The price also includes work on the college’s succession plan, Gilmore said.
“The board called certain people and asked them to serve,” Gilmore said.
Molly Seals of Canfield is the other trustee on the search committee.
“We were looking for community involvement and participation from teachers, students, administration and obviously from the board,” Gilmore said.
William Mullane of Trumbull County, a former Eastern Gateway trustee also will serve on the search committee. Shari Harrell is the committee’s other Mahoning Valley representative.
The college’s unions selected their respective representatives, Gilmore said, and the student was picked by the college’s human-resources department based on a letter she had submitted.
Public forums are set for Oct. 16 and Oct. 17, though times and locations haven’t been announced. Information gathered during those forums will be used to help develop a draft presidential profile.
Between December and January, the search committee will select semifinalists for interviews and then recommend finalists to the board. Finalists will visit the college and participate in forums in late February, according to the search timeline.
Gilmore said the board is looking for a new president with the same dedication as Meeks.
“She is just a ball of energy,” he said. “Her vision and leadership made Eastern Gateway and led us all through that process.”
In 2009, Jefferson Community College expanded into Columbiana, Mahoning and Trumbull counties to become Eastern Gateway Community College. Meeks has been president for 15 years, starting with JCC.
This fall, enrollment reached 3,155, marking a 9 percent increase from fall 2013. It’s one of the country’s fastest-growing colleges.
“The significant growth and development we’ve had I attributed to her,” Gilmore said.