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Randy Schmailzl is set to be approved tonight as president of Metropolitan Community College at a special Board of Governors meeting.
Schmailzl, 54, a longtime administrator at Metro, has been interim president since July 2008, after the board's acrimonious, yearlong fight to oust former President Jo Ann McDowell.
Schmailzl, who holds a bachelor's degree from Nebraska Wesleyan University and a master's degree from the University of South Dakota, has worked for Metro since April 1989, when he was hired as director of enrollment management. He has been executive vice president since 1998 and served a previous year-long stint as interim president in 2000-01.
Schmailzl will be paid $175,000. McDowell was making $162,000 when she left.
Board Chairman David Newell said the board decided to forgo a nationwide search for a president and instead tap Schmailzl.
“The advantages of hiring someone who knows the system, who knows the state, who knows the college and who knows the business end of it were just too obvious for us to ignore,” Newell said.
Metro faces a number of challenges, including rapid enrollment growth, a major legislative battle over the state's formula for distributing financial aid to community colleges and a re-evaluation of its facilities.
“We've been growing by leaps and bounds these past six years,” Newell said. “With the economy turning down, more people than ever are coming back to the community colleges.”
“These things are all too important not to find our most experienced, capable, trusted and tried leader, and that's why we're going to hire Randy,” Newell said.
Contact the writer:
402-473-9581, leslie.reed@owh.com
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