The Tribune

THE Council of the College of the Bahamas has established the process by which the new COB president will be selected.

After three years, Dr Betsy Vogel-Boze’s contract will come to an end on December 31, and the college announced yesterday that a 12 member advisory search committee, made up of members of the college community and representatives of wider society, has been appointed to consider candidates.

In a statement issued yesterday, COB said the committee was chosen with an eye to ensuring “the highest degree of integrity, accountability and confidentiality befitting a public body charged with statutory duties”.

The committee is comprised of two members of the council; a faculty representative (appointed after consultation with the Union of Tertiary Educators of the Bahamas); a staff representative (appointed after consultation with the Bahamas Public Services Union); a middle management representative (appointed after consultation with the Public Managers Union); a student representative (appointed after consultation with the College of the Bahamas Union of Students); an alumni representative (appointed after consultation with the College of the Bahamas Alumni Society); a College of the Bahamas administrator; a person named by council (appointed after consultation with the University Transition Secretariat); an external academic; a community representative and a secretary.

The committee is constituted as follows:

• Retired Justice Rubie Nottage (chair)

• Marcus Laing (Vice-Chair and alumni representative)

• Mark Humes (Union of Tertiary Educators of the Bahamas)

• Rodman Forbes (Bahamas Public Services Union)

• Anastacia Brown (Public Managers Union)

• Delreco Bonaby (COBUS)

• Tamischa Richardson (Alumni Society)

• William Fielding (COB administrator)

• Anthony Hamilton (University Transition Secretariat)

• Dr Robin Roberts (external academic)

• Retired Justice Cheryl Albury (community representative)

• Calpurnia Campbell (secretary)

The committee will be charged with selecting a shortlist of the most qualified candidates.

To this end, it will develop a presidential profile document, providing potential candidates with relevant information about the college, the desired qualities and qualifications of the new president and the search process.

This will be an essential tool in the local and international recruitment of prospective candidates, the college said.

Following the recruitment phase, the advisory search committee will generate a preliminary list of candidates from which a shortlist will be developed for subsequent interviews.

Upon completion of the interview phase, the committee will decide on the two to three candidates it wishes to present to the college community for questioning and feedback.

This will play a key role in the Ccommittee’s appointment-recommendation to council.

“While the final decision on the appointment of a president rests with council, acting with the approval of the Minister of Education, the committee will provide the leadership necessary to shape the profile and recommend the most suitable candidates for the presidency,” COB said.