RDC has hired a head-hunting firm to help fill retiring president Joel Ward’s position by next June.
The new leader of Red Deer College needs to possess a long list of qualifications, said Morris Flewwelling, chair of the RDC Board of Governors.
“He needs to be able to carry the momentum and have some serious jam,” Flewwelling added. In other words, he has to be strongly entrepreneurial and have experience in carrying an institution through a major transitional time.
Red Deer College, the largest college in Alberta, is turning into a university. “We have a plan,” said Flewwelling, but the new president needs to be able to execute that plan “and do it athletically, on time, and on budget.”
The head-hunting firm, Leaders International, is expected to deliver a long list of potential candidates to the college board by January. A short list is expected by March. Flewwelling believes candidates are being sought across North America and beyond.
He feels it’s important that the new president understands the comprehensive, diverse nature of the college, has established relationships with government and the private sector — and can develop those with RDC’s students, faculty and the broader community.
The hope is to have a new president by June so that Ward can help with the transition over the summer.
lmichelin@reddeeradvocate.com
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