The Santa Monica College Board of Trustees voted to hire the national executive search and management consulting firm Ralph Andersen & Associates to assist in its search for a new college superintendent/president.
The decision came after hearing presentations by and interviewing representatives of Ralph Andersen & Associates and three other finalists: Greenwood/Asher & Associates, Inc., Association of Community College Trustees, and Korn/Ferry International.
Ralph Andersen & Associates has conducted over 1,200 executive recruitments and management consulting services to the public sector and related industries for over four decades and recent community college clients include Pasadena City College, Sierra Community College District and College of Marin.
The Ralph Andersen & Associates’ team that will work with SMC will be led by project director Stan Arterberry – also the retired Chancellor of West-Valley Community College District – and Dr. Nicki Harrington, who has served in three community college CEO positions over the past two decades and most recently as Chancellor of the Yuba Community College District.
“Ralph Andersen & Associates’ stellar reputation in California and throughout the nation made choosing them easy as we commence the search for Santa Monica College’s next President,” said Rob Rader, Chair of the SMC Board of Trustees. “We look forward to working with Stan Arterberry and Dr. Nicki Harrington in bringing our next leader home.”
SMC is looking for a successor to Dr. Chui L. Tsang who announced in February of this year his decision to retire by the end of June. SMC Executive Vice President Jeff Shimizu will serve as Interim Superintendent/President effective July 1 while the search is conducted for a permanent replacement. The search is expected to take place for the rest of the year with a new superintendent/president selected around the beginning of 2016.
The consulting team will work closely with an SMC search committee, still to be established, in developing a president profile and recruitment materials, identifying prospective candidates throughout the nation, doing detailed background reports on top candidates, conducting extensive reference checks, and more.
Santa Monica College is a two-year community college accredited by the Western Association of Schools and Colleges (WASC). SMC is the leader in California’s 112 community college system in transfers to the University of California, serving around 33,000 students and offering over 90 fields of study. Since 1929, SMC has provided job training, educational opportunities and cultural enrichment through its radio station KCRW (89.9 FM), the Broad Stage at the SMC Performing Arts Center and lifelong learning through distinctive programs such as its Emeritus College for older adults.
For more information, contact Lisa Rose at (310) 434-4402.
