College president to be named soon

St. Mary's trustees aim for signed contract

Wednesday, Oct. 7, 2009

No decision was announced by the board of trustees after a lengthy closed-door executive session Saturday.

The trustees at the meeting said there was good participation from faculty, students and the community at forums held to meet the four presidential finalists during visits to the campus over the last few weeks. While trustees would not say if a decision had been reached in closed session, some said previously that a public announcement would not come until a contract was signed.

The four presidential finalists are Katherine Conway-Turner, James Bacchus, MaryAnn Baenninger and Joseph Bruno.

"It's a critical crossroads for the college," said Larry Vote, acting president. Vote, the provost of St. Mary's College, has been filling in as president since earlier this year.

Molly Mahoney, trustee and chair of the presidential search committee, said in a prepared statement that the trustees are moving forward to an announcement in the upcoming weeks and thanked everyone involved for their patience and understanding.

Faculty member Bob Paul said the forums for the presidential candidates worked well and "the faculty engaged very, very strongly in that, I'm happy to report."

The faculty "have the most to gain and to lose," Paul said, but generally felt as if they had a fair amount of input into the process.

Student and alumni representatives also said they appreciated the chance to provide input.

Maggie O'Brien announced in January that she would be resigning as president. She said at the time she would return to the campus as a professor overseeing an international studies program in Oxford, England. She said then she would end her job as president of the college no later than June 30, 2010, or with the appointment of her successor. However, later in the year she announced she would officially step down as president on Aug. 1, leaving Vote as acting president.

O'Brien is taking administrative leave and currently on a one-year sabbatical. She is being paid a percentage of her presidential salary, according to a college spokesperson, but that amount was not available as of press time Tuesday.

The trustees had hoped to have someone named by the start of this school year, but allowed for a longer time if needed. Some of the candidates said they would not be able to start until the end of this school year because of their current positions.

jyeatman@somdnews.com