Dr. Carlnita Greene has been recommended by the Board of Trustees to be appointed as the acting president of 4Cs (Cape Cod Community College).
By Bec Rapacz
The Board of Trustees met March 19 to discuss short and long term leadership to replace the recently retired 4Cs President John Cox. Virtual viewing of the meeting was available to the public.
During this meeting, the Board presented the idea of appointing the current administrator in charge, Dr. Carlnita Greene, to the role of acting president. There seemed to be agreement amongst the members that this was an appropriate step to take, with some commentary on the immediacy and process with which that move should be made.
Board of Trustees member Troy Clarkson spoke on the importance of open communication with the college community. “I really think we need to be deliberate and very focused in how we conduct anything related to the presidency from this point forward… given what we’ve been through in the last several months, it’s not only appropriate, I think it’s important, and I think it’s necessary, that we acknowledge that this is a public process.”
Board member John Flores agreed with Clarkson’s comments on keeping the appointment of a president a public process. He added, “Both for an interim president, as well as a long term eventual appointment of the permanent president, there is a screening process that needs to take place in all of the categories that he (Clarkson) suggested – trustees, students, faculty, members of the Board of Trustees – that’s all designated in the Board of Higher Education Policy Manual, so we don’t really have a whole lot of leeway in that. We’re told what to do.”
Gina Yarbrough, the general counsel to the Massachusetts Community College System, offered clarification on how exactly the process goes for selecting a president. “The recommendation to appoint an interim or acting president is made by a vote of the Board of Trustees in open session. Then, that notice of the trustees’ action along with the nominees CV is forwarded in a timely fashion to the commissioner. The appointment would not be effective until and unless approved by the commissioner in consultation with the chair of the Board of Higher Education.”
By the end of the meeting, the Board of Trustees moved to recommend to the commissioner of higher education that Dr. Carlnita Greene be appointed as acting president effective immediately. The motion passed unanimously.
In a statement released immediately after the meeting, Board of Trustees Chair Tammy Glivinski-Saben voiced support for the Board’s recommended appointee. “Dr. Greene brings experience, steady leadership, and a deep commitment to our mission, and we are confident in her ability to guide the college during this transition.”
