Five candidates were whittled down to three Thursday as an 11-member search committee narrowed a field of candidates for the presidency at Jefferson Davis Community College.
A full day of interviews on the Brewton campus ended with the committee selecting three candidates to move forward with yet another interview on Friday in Montgomery with the chancellor of postsecondary education.
The final three candidates are Dr. Daniel Bane of Arkansas, Dr. Barbara Bebee of Maryland and Dr. Angeline Godwin of Mississippi.
Sherry Martin, director of personnel for Jefferson Davis Community College, said the process of selecting a new president is coming to an end.
“Once the chancellor completes her interviews she will make a recommendation to the State Board of Education,” Martin said. “That recommendation will be made at their meeting at the end of this month.”
Each of the five finalists had 45 minutes to asnwer questions from the committee.
The five finalists were interviewed in alphabetical order beginning with Dr. Robert Anderson of Arizona, Dr. Daniel Bane of Arkansas, Dr. Barbara Bebee of Maryland, Dr. Angeline Godwin of Mississippi and Dr. Richard Underbakke of Illinois.
During the interviews, Bane said he takes a hands-on approach in any position he holds.
“I like to visit with the people and see what is needed,” Bane told the committee. “I have lunch with students and get to know them to see what is going on. Part of the ability to improve depends on delivery. Student success is behind everything we do. I would love to be able to capitalize on what you already have here and use it to expand.”
Bebee said she believed in a collaborative style of leadership making sure to involve as many people as possible in the decision-making process.
“I believe that we can make good decisions when everyone is informed,” Bebee told the committee. “I believe the best advantage JD has is that it has touched so many lives. While I have been visiting here I have spoken to people who have been touched by this college either through their own attendance or the attendance of family and friends. Everything I’ve heard has been positive and that is truly an asset for this community.”
Godwin spoke to the committee about her dream of being back at a community college in a state she loves and calls her home.
“I’m not looking for a presidency at a community college,” Godwin said. “I’m looking for the presidency at this community college. I want to be able to take what I’ve learned and what I know and bring it back to my home state. I see the heritage, the arts, cultural and technical education in this community and the quality of life enjoyed here. I want to take that tradition and built on it for this community.”
The presidency became an open slot at the college after Dr. Susan McBride retired from the position in December 2010. During the search, Dean of Instruction Kathleen Hall has served as interim-president for the two-year institution.