CSM Searching for 5th President
College of Southern Maryland President Dr. Brad Gottfried is retiring in 2017, and the College of Southern Maryland Board of Trustees has launched a national search for the fifth president of the institution. The board is looking for an educational leader with experience and a track record of innovation, collaboration, and inspiration.
“The search will focus on selecting the best candidate who will build upon the success and academic excellence that is the legacy of CSM’s previous presidents,” said Board Chair Dorothea Holt Smith. “The next leader of the college will have the opportunity to lead and inspire a talented and dedicated team of faculty and staff.”
A search committee has been appointed and is chaired by trustee Michael L. Middleton and comprised of representatives from the CSM Board of Trustees, the CSM Foundation, faculty, alumni, and the La Plata, Leonardtown, and Prince Frederick campuses. Also, focus groups with each of the college’s County Advisory Councils in Calvert, Charles, and St. Mary’s counties and information sessions with college employees have been held to create the presidential profile and preferred qualifications.
Information from these sessions is available at the college’s presidential search web site, and applications will be accepted for the position until Dec. 15, 2016.
CSM is a comprehensive regional community college that serves more than 25,000 credit and continuing education students at campuses in Leonardtown, La Plata and Prince Frederick, as well as its other facilities including a shared facility with University of Maryland University College — the Waldorf Center for Higher Education — and the Center for Transportation Training in La Plata. A new regional campus is on 74 acres in Hughesville, where the college’s new Center for Trades and Energy Training (CTET) will be the initial facility. The 30,000-square-foot CTET will include labs, classrooms, and administrative space, and is expected to be operational by spring 2017. The second phase for the Regional Campus will be the construction of a state-of-the-art health sciences building and other proposed phases could include a fine arts building, a field house, and relocation of the college’s athletic fields.
CSM is located close to Washington, DC, and Baltimore, and has more than 50 guaranteed articulation agreements. This allows students to start in Southern Maryland and transfer seamlessly to the college of their choice. Last year, 1,762 CSM students transferred to 226 different colleges and universities in 45 states and the District of Columbia.
Established in 1958, CSM has seen incredible growth in enrollment, physical facilities, program offerings and impact with the college serving as an economic engine for the 350,000 residents of Southern Maryland with a variety of affordable academic, technical, and vocational programs. Services to the business community include the Corporate Center’s customized training, the region’s Small Business Development Center and a new Entrepreneur and Innovation Institute. The college is also a hub for much of the area’s social, cultural, and wellness activities.
Reporting directly to a nine-member board of trustees who are appointed by the governor to four-year terms, the president is the college’s chief executive officer and serves as the secretary-treasurer for the college’s active foundation.
The board is searching for a person who will continue to energetically pursue alignment with its mission, vision, and values to foster fiscal responsibility, encourage diversity, and inspire student success and completion. The successful candidate for the position will have outstanding communication skills necessary to preserve and enhance partnerships with industry, community, and other educational institutions while overseeing and inspiring the college’s employees.
For more about the College of Southern Maryland, visit their Leader member page.
