The Tribune

By KHRISNA VIRGIL

Tribune Staff Reporter

kvirgil@tribunemedia.net

EDUCATION Minister Jerome Fitzgerald is confident that the next College of the Bahamas President will be a qualified Bahamian.

However, finding that person could be a lengthy process as COB’s Council has yet to narrow down a list of candidates, Mr Fitzgerald said yesterday.

“They started the process,” he said, “and I am keeping close tabs on that. But as I said the mandate has been given that it must be a Bahamian. And I am pretty confident that we will find a Bahamian who is qualified and capable of leading the College to university status.”

In June an unsigned internal letter sent from COB President Betsy Vogel Boze to College council Chairman Alfred Sears was leaked to The Tribune. In it, she explained that after her agreement with the College ended on December 31, 2013 she would not be seeking an extension of her contract. Later, insiders confirmed that her decision came by mutual consent.

Another source said that before that letter was drafted and sent, the Council spoke with the President and informed her that the College would not renew the terms of the contract. It was at that time that she told officials of her intention to vacate the post. The letter was later sent confirming the decision.

The letter said: “I am proud of our many accomplishments and my role in securing a better future for the College of the Bahamas. I am leaving the institution a better place. From the time that I accepted this important appointment, I have broadly and frequently professed that COB, as our national tertiary institution, needs Bahamian leadership.

“So at this time I am notifying the College Council that when my contract ends on December 31, 2013, that I will not elect the three year contract extension.”

Dr Vogel Boze began at COB on January 1, 2011. Her background includes Kent State University Stark campus dean and executive officer at the same university from 2005 to 2009. She also held several high ranking position at universities throughout the United States.