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Other Stories:
Murder and the Masquerade
Who Will Lead UDC?
Search Committee in Information Gathering Stage of Finding New President
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Members of presidential search committee.
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The search is on for the new president of the University of the District of Columbia.
Stanley Jackson, UDC’s acting president has been holding the position for several months in the wake of former president Pollard’s departure.
A Presidential Search and Screening Committee is now in place and has been hosting public forums to garner as much information as possible as to what the constituents of the University desire in their future leader and allow all interested parties to share their views on the search. The committee has representation from faculty, staff, students and members of the Board of Trustees.
According to Meredith Rode, acting chairperson for the Department of Mass Media and Visual Arts and a member of the committee, “We need someone who’s willing fight for the institution and its location because it’s obvious that UDC is located on prime real estate and that puts us somewhat in jeopardy because so many people want the land.”
Dr. Rode was careful to add that she was speaking in a general way and not on behalf of the committee as no official decisions have been made.
The new president must be someone willing to be a very strong advocate for the University in the community and possess political savvy particularly in D.C. where there is Congressional oversight, Rode said. The incumbent president must, “be willing to take the time to study he complicated history of UDC and have great enthusiasm to take up the challenge of our University.”
The allocation of resources must also be addressed Rode said. “Where do we put our money? Unfortunately, evidence suggests that too much money goes to the administration and not enough to supporting the academic programs.” Rode also highlighted the fact that students pay $50 lab fees but that money does not come back to the department – instead that money goes into a general fund that does not support the student’s academic program.
Enhancement of academic programs and improvement of UDC’s physical structure are also some of the issues that Rode believes need urgent attention.
While there is no specific deadline for the nomination of a new president, there is a desire to do it as expeditiously as possible but at the same time there is no need to rush into a decision, she said. “There is no point in having a president just to say we have a president. We want to make sure that this is someone who can move the institution forward,”
The next public forum will be held on Feb. 21 from 2 pm to 4 pm in Building 41, Room A03. Staff , students alumni and members of the public are welcome to attend and listen however, this forum will be limited to contributions from faculty members only.
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