At the Oct. 18 Board of Trustees meeting held on the main campus in SSC 220, the Board of Trustees discussed proceedings following the departure of current President Dr. Ann Rondeau. Board Vice Chairman, Frank Napolitano, was the first trustee to bring attention to the time constraint the board was facing because Rondeau will be departing in less than three months.

“Since we don’t have a process in place and don’t think we could complete it anyways by December 2018, that means than we are going to have to consider what process we want to put in place and we would need to consider an intern president for that period while the process is underway,” Board Chairman, Deanne Mazzochi said.

Mazzochi clarified that in hiring an interim president, the Board of Trustees will no longer have to feel rushed in both deciding how they will choose a future president and who that president will be.

In the hiring of Rondeau, the board was assisted by a search firm. Mazzochi along with the rest of the board members agreed that if an outside search firm was used again, logistics including proper timing and assistance would need to be discussed on a further date. Mazzochi invited everyone to give feedback to the board in regards to what the most effective process may be for the future.

“Vice Chairman Napolitano has served on the president search committee before. I would suggest that you route those comments and feedback either to the board as a whole, or certainly to him in particular,” Mazzochi said.

The first question that arose amongst the board members was wether or not the future president and interim president should be external or internal personal. All members unanimously agreed that the future president should be a College of DuPage faculty.

“I would want to recommend somebody who is internal so we can keep these initiatives moving forward. We wouldn’t have to bring any one up to speed on the work we’ve been doing,” Board Secretary, Cristine Fenne said.

Board of Trustees member, Charles Bernstein, even went a step further to suggest Dr. Brian Caputo, Vice President of Administration and Treasurer, as a prospect for the interim position.

“I would be very much in favor of having Dr. Brian Caputo serve in that interim role. I know from working with him that he would be an excellent choice for that. I think the search for a new president is absolutely something we should do in a deliberate manner,” Bernstein said.

The Board had consistent comments about Caputo’s work ethic and history at COD. He has been involved with Innovation DuPage, Pathways and will be an ambassador for COD at the upcoming AACT conference.

“When Dr. Caputo first joined the college, he had a reputation of excellence that proceeded him. Since he has joined, I’ve witnessed that commitment to excellence up close and personal and impartial I firmly believe that one of the reasons not only Pathways, but Project HireEd and Innovation DuPage and many of the things were working on…wouldn’t be where they are today without the incredible work that Dr. Caputo has put in,” Mazzochi said.

The suggestion of Caputo for interim president is not a final decision from the board, but merely a suggestion that will be decided on a later date. Caputo has not yet accepted any position offers from the Board, as with him moving positions, others may follow to fill his previous spot.

The Courier will stay active in learning more about what is to come in the following year for COD, and what we can look forward to if Caputo accepts the board’s interim president position offer.