Scottsdale Community College Presidential Search Narrows

~ Chancellor announces site visit to Alaska candidate's college ~

Tempe, AZ (March 6, 2008) -- Chancellor Rufus Glasper announced today that he will lead a site visit team to the University of Alaska at Anchorage, the institution where Dr. Jan Gehler serves as dean of the Community and Technical College. The visit is the next step in the process of selecting a new president at Scottsdale Community College, one of the ten Maricopa Community Colleges.

"Dr. Gehler has a deep community college background and a passion for their mission," said Dr. Glasper. "Our goal is to continue to learn more about Dr. Gehler as we work to find the right leader for SCC who also serves an important role on my executive leadership council."  The Chancellor has appointed a site visit team, composed of some of the members of the search team, who will travel to Alaska for the comprehensive observation scheduled for Monday, March 17, 2008.  

While in Alaska, the team will meet with faculty leadership, Dr. Gehler's peers, her supervisor, students, community leaders, business people, and others, asking questions about Dr. Gehler's leadership style, her qualifications, and her successes. The team will provide feedback to the Chancellor about how the candidate's abilities might meet the needs of SCC. The Chancellor, who will be collecting impressions of his own, will consider team member input before making a decision to move forward.

Dr. Glasper thanked faculty, staff, students, District leadership and the community who provided feedback when all the finalists visited SCC and the District earlier this month. "Input from the college forums and other candidate events is a vital part of the president selection process," said Dr. Glasper.  "I appreciate the involvement of so many of you when Dr. Gehler and the other candidates visited Scottsdale Community College."  

District policy requires the Chancellor to make a recommendation to the Governing Board for hiring approval. If the site visit is successful, the Chancellor could make a recommendation by the end of March.

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About Scottsdale Community College

Scottsdale Community College offers over 1,500 academic and non-credit classes each semester. Located on the Salt River Pima-Maricopa Indian Community, the campus is known for its serene atmosphere and beautiful plant and wildlife. With nearly 12,000 students, Scottsdale Community College is proud to offer high-quality, affordable programs in small class settings. From Motion Picture/Television Production and Culinary Arts to Nursing and American Indian Studies, students have a wide variety of programs from which to earn credits for university transfer, launch their careers, train for new ones, or pursue a special interest. The SCC Business Institute offers customized programs to meet the needs of local business. Scottsdale Community College is one of the ten Maricopa Community Colleges.

To learn about the many academic programs at Scottsdale Community College, call us at (480) 423-6000 or visit our website at www.scottsdalecc.edu.

About the Maricopa County Community College District:

The Maricopa County Community College District is one of the largest community college districts in the nation.  It includes 10 colleges -- Chandler-Gilbert Community College, Estrella Mountain Community College, GateWay Community College, Glendale Community College, Mesa Community College, Paradise Valley Community College, Phoenix College, Rio Salado College, Scottsdale Community College and South Mountain Community College. The District also includes the Maricopa Skill Center, Southwest Skill Center, several satellite campuses and business/industry; technical and customized training institutes.

Media contact:
Denise Kronsteiner
(480) 423-6567
denise.kronsteiner@sccmail.maricopa.edu