Southern Union to begin search for permanent president

WADLEY–Southern Union State Community College will begin a search for a permanent president in January.

The Department of Postsecondary Education anticipates posting the job on Jan. 4, according to Tonya Dupree, the department’s director of human resources.  The entire process is expected to take about 120 days to complete, with Chancellor Mark Heinrich making a recommendation to the State Board of Education at its April meeting.

Once the position is advertised, the State Board of Education will appoint a search committee which consists of 11 members: two elected full-time faculty members; one elected support personnel; a representative from the Alabama Department of Postsecondary Education, selected by the chancellor; a president of a state two-year institution, selected by the chancellor; four community representatives selected by the state board member in whose district the college is located, which is Betty Peters; two at-large representatives from the state, one selected by the chancellor, the other by the state board member.

During a series of meetings, which are open to the public, the committee will narrow the pool of applicants down to five. The community will have the opportunity to meet the five candidates at a public reception. The committee will then choose the top three candidates and forward the recommendations to Heinrich. After interviewing with him, Heinrich will make a recommendation to the board.

Dr. Amelia Pearson has served as interim president at Southern Union since January 2008.