How to replace a president

Joe Dunlap will have filled the North Idaho College president’s shoes for four years when he retires next June 30, but he was much more than a placeholder for the next prez. One of the good things he’s done is give the college’s board of trustees a solid half year to find his replacement.

You’d think that a job worth over $200,000 a year in pay and benefits in a thriving community and on one of the most beautiful campuses in the country would vault to the top of the list for many presidential hopefuls. That may or may not prove true.

For all of the good that comes with the job, here and elsewhere, college presidents are struggling with declining enrollment and the fiscal headaches those declines induce. Comparisons between community college administration and private business management aren’t easy or necessarily accurate, but declining enrollment is akin to a declining customer base for businesses. At some point, the bottom falls out and painful remedies need to be applied.

We’re not suggesting that’s why Dunlap is retiring now. As has been noted, he wants to be a good grandfather, and when he started the NIC job four years ago, he didn’t have any grandkids. Now he has five. Those are five very good reasons to bid farewell to a stressful, demanding job and say hello to real family life again.

Trustees can take comfort in having made a good hire in Joe Dunlap, who’s being credited with starting a number of technical programs that translate into good jobs in the community. Aerospace and entrepreneur programs born under Dunlap’s leadership stand out, and there are others. But we would be less than forthright if we didn’t express some disappointment in Dunlap leaving after just four years. On the other hand, that’s pretty much his recent track record, so should have been expected.

Dunlap, 65, was president of Spokane Community College for four years, from 2008 to 2012. Prior to that, he was VP of instruction at SCC from 2004 to 2008 — four years. He was dean of science and industrial technology at Mt. Hood Community College from 1998 to 2002 — yes, four years — before a stint at Clover Park Technical College from 2002 to 2004.

With time to find the best possible replacement, trustees will be dealing with some challenging realities. According to an Inside Higher Ed study in 2012, the average age of college presidents was 61, with waves of retiring presidents causing consternation for those charged with filling these important leadership positions. According to the study, the average time a college president spent in that particular job was seven years in 2011 — down from 8.5 years in 2005. All indications are that the average time on the job is now even less than seven.

It’s our hope that NIC trustees will see a challenge like this as an opportunity, perhaps looking somewhere beyond the traditional career track for its next president. Community colleges like NIC serve best when they prepare tomorrow’s workforce for good jobs that will be in demand. Owning a Ph.D. isn’t a guarantee of success.