NARROWING DOWN THE CANDIDATES
SCC has recently held open forums for students and staff to meet and question the five finalists for the position of vice president for student learning (VP-SL).
This position requires communication between the president of the college and is SCC’s chief academic officer. Additionally, the VP-SL is in charge of SCC’s academic and enrollment management strategies and has a hand in assuring that there’s support in educational programs, enrollment, retention and access.
The current VP-SL is held in an temporary capacity by Bayta Maring, who is not seeking permanent status with the role.
She is expected to return to her previous role as executive director of institutional assessment and data management.
The recruitment for VP-SL has been “pretty unusual” in that there are typically three to four finalists rather than five, says Andrea Chin, a member of SCC’s human resource department.
With the forums done, there will be deliberation about the candidates among the executive team at the college. SCC President Cheryl Roberts will have a final individual interview with the VP-SL candidates.
The plan is for the the new VP-SL to assume their position July 1.
The following is a bit of background on the five finalists based upon biographical information they provided to the college for public circulation.
Maria Angelica Acob-Nash
Acob-Nash has held administrative roles at Edmonds Community College, North Seattle College and Cascadia College. She is currently employed as the associate vice president for international education at Skagit Valley College.
She earned her doctorate in community college educational leadership at Oregon State University after earning her master’s degree in education at Western Washington University.
She has a total of 21 years experience in community college administrations.
Laurie Fathe
Fathe has worked in leadership roles at Owens Community College in Iowa and George Mason University in Virginia. She is currently the provost and vice president for academic affairs at Heritage University.
She has a doctorate in quantum electronics from the University of Southern California, and she previously earned master’s and bachelor’s degrees in physics from the University of Illinois and Miami University, respectively.
She has a total of 13 years experience in college administrations.
Phillip J. King
King has worked in community colleges since 1991, both as a professor and in the student service sector. Most recently, he held a position as vice president of student and academic services at Woodland Community College in California.
He received a master’s in communication studies from Portland State University. He is also currently working towards a doctorate in education in community college leadership. The doctorate is expected to be completed this year.
The Ebbtide was unable to confirm King’s ownership of any social media accounts.
Marissa R. Schlesinger
Schlesinger has worked in in community college administrations for nine years. She is currently the associate dean for curriculum and first-year programs at Gutman Community College in New York.
She earned a master’s degree from the University of Toronto, and has completed all but the dissertation portion of her doctoral studies in ancient Egyptian art and technology at the same university.
Guy Hamilton
Hamilton has been SCC’s executive dean of workforce and STEM for nearly four years. He was formerly a professor in the biotech program for 11 years.
He has a doctorate in molecular biology from the University of Oregon, as well as a bachelor’s degree in microbiology from Indiana University Bloomington.
