The Tribune

ONE month after announcing the recruitment phase of the search for a new College of the Bahamas president, the chair of the Advisory Search Committee said she is pleased with the response as the October 31 application deadline draws near.

Retired Justice Rubie Nottage expressed pride at the level of professional accomplishment and scholarship already achieved by Bahamians in higher education, government and industry.

Without revealing too many details about the applicants, Mrs Nottage said: “A goodly number of applications have been received from Bahamians performing in senior leadership positions both locally and abroad.”

In listing the desired attributes of the new COB president, Mr Nottage reiterated that the successful candidate must be a Bahamian citizen, preferably with an earned doctorate degree, but not necessarily in the field of education.

In addition to having unquestioned integrity and the capacity to inspire confidence and trust both nationally and abroad, the new president must be a transformational leader who will be the embodiment of the core academic values and principles of scholarship excellence, she said.

As the College of the Bahamas makes its transition to university status by 2015, it is critically important that the new president possess the ability to provide moral and intellectual leadership, on campus and at the national level, on issues of importance to higher education, Mrs Nottage said.

“That individual must also appreciate the unique role played by a national institution in a developing society, the expectations that the people of this nation have of the university, and the implications of those expectations in terms of the institution’s structure, functioning and performance” she said.

Mrs Nottage said she views the selection of the next president as a great opportunity for the entire Bahamian community to have a say in naming the first leader of the University of the Bahamas.

“It is in this light”, Mrs Nottage said, “that I would encourage our citizenry to take this opportunity provided by the search process to nominate persons whether inside or outside of the institution who are both qualified and well-suited for the post”.

She pointed out that senior managers with at least seven years of leadership experience, preferably at an institution of higher learning, will be preferred candidates.

The committee is seeking candidates who have professional experience in:

• strong financial management and budgeting, with an astute understanding of university finances and the relationships between academic priorities and budgeting, or their equivalent elsewhere

• attracting significant revenue through public-private partnerships, innovation and fundraising

• facilitating and inspiring faculty to develop research programmes and attract research grants

• fostering transparent and productive labour relations in a robust collective bargaining environment

• managing in the context of a complex, multi-campus, multi- stakeholder organisation

• building institutional capacity, utilising both open and online distance learning facilities

• working effectively and collaboratively with people of diverse backgrounds and interests

“The deadline for applications is 31 October, 2013, and nominations should be received prior to that time to ensure optimal consideration” she said.

The College Council, the body that will make the final decision after taking into account the advice of the Advisory Committee, has said it fully expects the new president to be appointed and in place by the fall of 2014.