Atlantic Cape Narrows Search For Next College President

MAYS LANDING – The Search Committee for the next president of Atlantic Cape Community College posted information on the institution’s website announcing that they have arrived at three finalists for the position that will be vacated by current President Dr. Peter Mora by Dec. 31.
Mora announced his pending retirement in March and the committee has been working since June to select a new leader for the college.
The finalists are all women with one having had previous experience as an administrator at Atlantic Cape.
Dr. Barbara Gaba is associate vice president for Academic Affairs and Provost of the urban situated Elizabeth campus of Union County College. Gaba is the only finalist currently located in the state. Gaba previously served as a dean at Camden County College and as an associate director in the state Department of Higher Education. Active in a number of educational associations and in civic groups in and around Elizabeth, Gaba received her Ph.D. from Bayero University in Kano, Nigeria.
Dr. Paula Pitcher is currently senior advisor to the commissioner of the Massachusetts Department of Higher Education. A first generation college student at Texas State Technical College, Pitcher went on to earn a doctorate of management in community college policy and administration from the University of Maryland. Before her work in Massachusetts, Pitcher was at Atlantic Cape where she served as associate dean for Research, Planning, and Assessment.
Dr. Irene Rios is currently at Naugatuck Valley Community College in Connecticut where she serves as dean of Academic Affairs and chief academic officer. Rios received her doctorate in education from the University of Hartford where her research focus was in the area of academic advising in higher education. Rios has been active in a variety of educational associations and has taught in the areas of student development and educational programs.
The last time Atlantic Cape Community College sought a president was over 10 years ago. At that time Dr. Peter Mora was selected, a veteran of 31 years of service at the institution. 
Mora assumed the role in 2005 just months before the Cape May County Campus opened its doors in Court House. 
Atlantic Cape has the mandate to jointly serve both Atlantic and Cape May counties as a comprehensive community college. It receives just over 20 percent of its operating funds from annual appropriations from both counties.
The college serves over 7,000 students at three locations with over 40 transfer and career degree programs along with continuing education and workforce training.
One of 19 state-supported community colleges in New Jersey, Atlantic Cape has a unique role in its service area due to the lack of many alternative institutions in this part of South Jersey.
The Presidential Search Committee established by the Board of Trustees has been working with a national search firm, the Association of Community College Trustees. The end date for applications was Sept. 7.  The initial response brought 37 candidates from 20 states. From that applicant pool, 10 candidates were interviewed through video conferencing. 
The Search Committee listed on the college website is comprised of eight individuals with an additional ad hoc membership for Marian Ivette Torres, the board of trustee chair. 
The membership, including three individuals specifically from Cape May County:
•    Brian Lefke, Trustee and Search Committee Chair
•    Dave Coskey, Vice Chairman of the Trustees
•    Ellen Byrne, Trustee
•    Dr. Richard Stepura, Trustee and Interim Superintendent of Atlantic and Cape May Counties
•    Louis Greco, Esq., Board of Trustees Attorney
•    Nicholas Cashan III, President of the Atlantic Cape Foundation
•    Audrey McCant, Director of Human Resources Atlantic County
•    Dr. Nancy Hudanich, Superintendent of Cape May County Technical School District
Coskey and Byrne are trustees representing Cape May County; Hudanich is a resident of and an elected official in Avalon.
Stepura, as a representative of the state Department of Education, holds a position that spans both counties.
The search for a new president of Atlantic Cape is of special concern to many Cape May County residents because the campus in Court House provides the only in-county access to higher education.
Over the last several years the campus has seen declining enrollments, limited in-county program offerings, and low overall campus utilization. Many of the degree programs offered by Atlantic Cape are either not available in Cape May County or must be accessed via computer or conferencing technology. As campus enrollments dropped so did program offerings.
Revitalizing the Cape May County campus and making the county’s only higher educational institution a centerpiece of intellectual and cultural growth for the county and developing workforce training directly tied to the county’s stubbornly seasonal economy is one of many challenges awaiting the new president.
The Presidential Profile used in the call for applications makes reference to this challenge when it says that the new president must “address the unique needs and challenges of the college’s three locations.”
Measuring candidates by their preparation for that challenge is seen as critical by some civic leaders in Cape May County.
The same website that contains information on the search process also provides access to the institution’s strategic planning process.
A new plan, labeled 2017-2021, says that it was approved by the Board of Trustees in June while the search for a new president was being formulated. It gives no indication of the level to which the new president may be involved in its potential modification. The plan covers the first five years of an incoming president’s tenure.
 Plans call for late-October visits by the finalists which will include public forums for meeting the candidates.
The search committee states that discussion at these open forums will “provide valuable feedback that will go directly to the Board of Trustees.”
A schedule for the visits and the public forums is still being developed.