After conducting a second round of public interviews with two finalists for the position of president of Colorado Mountain College, today the college’s board of trustees voted to enter into contract negotiations with Dr. Carrie Hauser regarding joining CMC as its ninth president.
“We had two very strong candidates,” said Glenn Davis, president of the CMC Board of Trustees. “Dr. Hauser’s experience within Colorado and Colorado higher education was a significant differentiator.”
“This has been a long selection process, and we are very grateful for everyone who participated,” said Dr. Charles R. Dassance, interim president of the college.
Hauser currently serves as the senior fellow of Ewing Marion Kauffman Foundation and is past president and CEO of Kauffman Scholars in Kansas City, Mo. She previously served as vice president for institutional advancement and external relations at Metropolitan State College of Denver (now Metropolitan State University of Denver).
Hauser earned a Bachelor of Arts in interdisciplinary studies: business administration, political science and communications from the University of Arizona, and a Master of Arts and a Doctor of Philosophy in higher education policy from the University of California – Los Angeles.
Dr. Charles R. Dassance, who was honored with the title of president emeritus when he retired from the College of Central Florida, has been interim president of CMC since February.
Summary of search process
The search process started in June, when the board hired search consultant the Association of Community College Trustees. A screening committee composed of faculty, administrators, staff, a student, three community members and two of the college’s seven trustees reviewed completed applications.
From those applicants, the committee recommended that the board interview semifinalists. After those video interviews, the CMC Board of Trustees selected five finalists to interview in person.
In September the five finalists were interviewed by employees, community members, students, senior college leadership and the board of trustees. In addition the candidates toured two campuses. Those who took part in the interviews or viewed online videos of the finalists’ presentations were then invited to complete online surveys.
Following those interviews and after weighing participants’ input, the trustees voted to bring back two finalists, Dr. Carrie Hauser and Dr. Alan Walker, for further interviews. These followup interviews were conducted in public session during the Oct. 9 meeting.
A bio of Dr. Hauser can be found at https://coloradomtn.info/web/about-cmc/board_of_trustees/presidential_search/finalists/hauser.
For more information about the presidential search, please go to www.coloradomtn.edu/presidentialsearch.