College leader search begins

From the The Brunswick News

A 12-member committee that will conduct a national search to find a new president for College of Coastal Georgia was named Thursday. The committee includes seven faculty and staff members from the college, a student government representative, an alumni association president and three community members.

Mike Hodges, vice chairman of the college foundation's board of trustees and one of the community members, says he hopes the committee can find a carbon copy of Valerie Hepburn, who will leave the college at the end of the next semester.

"You want someone who can keep the momentum going," Hodges said.

Hepburn, who will leave in May to help the University System redesign its health insurance and benefits package, has been credited with expeditiously leading the transformation of the college from a two-year community school to a four-year baccalaureate institution.

James Bishop, a lawyer and former University System regent who is also on the committee, says the new president has to be someone with a clear commitment to the college's future.

"It's going to take an extraordinary individual to fill the shoes of Dr. Hepburn," Bishop said.

As a regent, Bishop was instrumental in turning the school into a four-year college and bringing Hepburn to Brunswick.

He says the new president will have to be someone Glynn County can embrace. "This will need to be essentially a community decision," Bishop said.

The committee's first meeting will be Nov. 26 at the college.

At the end of its search, the committee will present three to five candidates to the Special Regents' Search Committee, which will make a recommendation to the full board of regents. That committee will be chaired by Regent Richard Tucker and include Regents C. Dean Alford, Rusty Griffin and Robert Hatcher. Regents chair Ben Tarbutton III will serve as an ex-officio member of the regent's committee.

Members of the local search committee are:

• Andrea Wallace, professor of chemistry and chair of the Department of Natural Sciences and chair of the campus search committee.
• Linnell Bailey, assistant coordinator of academic services and former Staff Assembly chair.
• Phillis George, assistant professor of social science and director of service learning.
• Claire Hughes, associate professor of education and Faculty Senate chair.
• William S. Mounts, dean and professor of economics.
• Beverly Rowe, associate professor of nursing.
• Victor Vega-Vazquez, associate professor of mathematics.
• Maggie Bee, Student Government Association president.
• Glenn Thomas Carson, college alumni association president.
• Mike Hodges, college foundation board of trustees vice chair and market president of Ameris Bank.
• James A. Bishop, former regent and an attorney with the Bishop Law Firm.
• Diana Murphy, managing director of Rocksolid Holdings.

###