New College of Florida Announces Presidential Candidate Finalists; Visits Scheduled in February and March

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February 14, 2012 — Bob Johnson, chair of the New College of Florida Board of Trustees, today announced that five candidates have been selected as finalists for the position of president of New College of Florida.  The five finalists will be in Sarasota during February and March for interviews with the Presidential Search Committee, which was formed in the spring of 2011 to choose a successor to President Gordon E. “Mike” Michalson, Jr., who will retire on July 1, 2012.
The five finalists selected by the Search Committee are:

  • Dr. Pamela Gunter-Smith, Provost and Academic Vice President, Drew University (NJ)
  • Dr. Gregory Hess, Dean of the Faculty and VP for Academic Affairs, Claremont McKenna College (CA)
  • Dr. Thomas Krise, Dean of the College of the Pacific, University of the Pacific (CA)
  • Dr. Kevin Quigley, President & CEO, National Peace Corps Association (DC)
  • Dr. Donal O’Shea, Dean of the Faculty & VP for Academic Affairs, Mount Holyoke College (MA)

Candidate interviews with the Search Committee, the campus community (including staff, faculty and students) and other key constituents will take place between February 19 and March 6.  It is anticipated that a decision will be made by mid-March.
In September 2011, the Committee retained Archer~Martin Associates of Nantucket, MA, to guide the search process.  Committee members include Susan Burns (alumna), Charlene Callahan (former provost), Kathy Coffey, Audrey Coleman (trustee), Aron Edidin (faculty), Cindy Hill Ford (alumna), Renee Hamad, R.V. Heiser, Michael Long (student), Bob Johnson (trustee), William Johnston (trustee), Pat McDonald (faculty), Felice Schulaner (alumna and trustee), Stewart Stearns, Tom Towler and Alex Wylie (student).
The search announcement stated that New College seeks a president “who celebrates the life of the mind, values intellectual intimacy, and appreciates and rewards faculty dedication to student learning.  It seeks in its next president someone committed to serving the campus community internally and championing the college externally, and an experienced executive who is a true scholar, an avid teacher, and an effective fund-raiser.”
The longest-serving president in the history of New College, Mike Michalson has served as president of the College since July of 2001. At his retirement, he will have served as chief administrative officer of New College for 16 of the past 20 years, including five years as Dean and Warden (1992-1997) while the College was still part of the University of South Florida (USF). Following a one-year sabbatical, Michalson plans to rejoin the New College faculty as a professor of religion in the fall of 2013.
Information about the candidates and the search process can be found on the New College website at ncf.edu/presidentialsearch.