Once again, a nationwide search for the position of president at Spokane Falls Community College has begun. After a failed search in 2018, SFCC is in search of a qualified candidate who will begin July 1, 2019.

On June 30, 2017,Janet Gullickson left SFCC after five years to lead Germanna Community College in Fredericksburg,  Virginia.

On July 1, 2017, 50-year-old Darren Pitcher who had held the position of vice president of learning and student services was appointed acting president

After a seven-month stint, Pitcher resigned Feb. 26, 2018, amid allegations of workplace sexual harassment, which he has denied.  CCS launched an investigation into the claims, but were mum on the details.

“The investigation was closed after Pitcher submitted his resignation letter and no conclusion was reached,” Carolyn Casey, spokeswoman for the Community Colleges of Spokane,  told The Spokesman-Review earlier this year. “His departure did not involve a legal settlement or any non-disclosure agreements.”

SFCC has been without a permanent president since the sexual harassment allegations came to light.

Nancy Fair-Szofran, formerly the CCS provost, was appointed acting president following Pitcher’s resignation and continued in that role after a failed presidential search in May, when  two finalists were turned down by the chancellor of the Community Colleges of Spokane.

Szofran has held many positions during her nearly 50-year career.

“Prior to coming to Washington, I worked in higher education,” Szofran said.

Szofran joined the Community Colleges of Spokane as provost in 2012 after working at Mt. Hood Community College in Oregon.

“SFCC is a great college,” Szofran said. “We’re like a family. We know each other and we spend a lot of time together. You get that feeling that we care a lot about each other here.”

“We have 5,382 students here at SFCC,” Szofran said. “Every one of them is fabulous; they’re all special; they’re all unique and I love our students, and I have to say our faculty and our staff feel the same way. Students come first.”

While Szofran was only temporarily placed into the position, the CCS website indicates that, “SFCC’s current acting president will not be a candidate for the permanent appointment as president.”

“I don’t know what I will do when I leave here,” Szofran said. “I haven’t figured that out yet.”

But Szofran said she received some sound advice for her future.

“He said, ‘Don’t make any hard decisions when you are in the midst of emotions (like when you retire).  Don’t force it. You will know when it is right,’” she said. “Right now and until June, I am just focusing on what is in front of me,” Szofran said. “We’ve got to set the stage for the new president to come in.”

The presidential application process began Nov. 1 and will close on Dec. 14. While a minimum of a master’s degree from an accredited university with five years of relevant administrative experience is required, a doctorate is preferred.

“When we did the presidential search last year it was a failed search,” Szofran said. “I chaired that search. This time, I am not involved with the search at all.”

Szofran said the search process is confidential.

“And many times someone who has applied to the position is a current president somewhere else and does not want their employer to know they have applied to a position,” she said. So the process remains confidential to protect them. These are high-stake positions and so we try to protect their confidentiality.”

Szofran said applications appeared immediately when the search opened again Nov. 1.

“I believe last time we received 22 applications. We won’t know how many applicants there are until the application deadline,” she said.

The applicants will then come to campus, where they will attend open forums.

“Students need to attend these forums and fill out the evaluation forms,” Szofran said. “It’s essential. The chancellor will read those comments.  She cares about what the rest of us sees and thinks.”

Having been in the position for months now, Szofran has some words of wisdom for the future president, whomever it may be.

“My advice to the new president is to listen,” Szofran said. “There is a difference between hearing and listening. My hope is that the new president can honor the past and know the difference.

“The hardest part of this job has been dealing with the emotional upheaval. It’s a harder job when you have to come in and pick up pieces. It was hard to be patient, but with the emotions it had to be one day at a time.”

Szofran continued: “We have now healed to a point that we are being productive and are moving forward. We are finally emotionally healthier than we were.”

Final interviews for the top three or four candidates will be held during the month of March.  A screening committee, designated by the district chancellor, will conduct the interviews. Times and dates for the open forums are to be determined.

The selection and the announcement of the winning candidate will tentatively be held April 1, 2019.  The new president will take over on July 1, 2019.

“Our staff and students deserve our best and that’s what we are trying to do here,” Szofran said.

Editor Madison Pearson contributed to this report.

You can find more information on the presidential search at:

https://ccs.spokane.edu/Working-for-Us/SFCC-President-Search/Application-Instructions

The search committee and college Chancellor are committed to providing updates throughout the process at appropriate intervals. This will be done by posting updates on the Presidential Search page. Campus wide emails and press releases may also be issued to draw your attention to the Presidential Search page at important points in the process.