An internal candidate and two outside applicants are the finalists to become the next president of Prince George’s Community College.
According to John Steinecke, chairman of the college’s Board of Trustees, a search advisory committee received approximately 30 resumes and interviewed about nine candidates before narrowing the pool to three.
The finalists are Charlene Dukes, the college’s vice president for student services; Calvin Woodland, president of Capital Community College in Hartford, Conn.; and Edna Baehre, president of Harrisburg Area Community College in Harrisburg, Pa.
“In general, what each of these candidates brought to the table was a whole lot of experience in the administrative and academic aspects of running a community college,” said Steinecke, who chaired the search advisory committee. “I also think each one of them is uncommonly self-possessed, confident, knowledgeable, and they all seem to align themselves with the goals and the aspirations and the mission of our community college.”
All three candidates will have a daylong campus interview from April 24 to 26. The candidates will meet with faculty, students, staff, President Ronald Williams and members of the community. Williams has been president since 1999. He will leave to become a vice president at the College Board testing service. Steinecke said a selection should be made by mid-May.
“The college is really at the stage where we [at Harrisburg] were at 10 years ago,” Baehre said. “And, so I’m hoping to bring my experience of really growing a community college and really getting it integrated into a community.”
Baehre said her strengths include strategic planning and fundraising.
PGCC is closed for spring break this week and The Examiner couldn’t reach Dukes for comment. Woodland declined comment because he is in the interview process.
PGCC has four satellite campuses, and its main campus is in Largo. Total student enrollment is nearly 37,000.
