Pierpont President Blair Montgomery will retire in May 2010, finishing his 36th year in higher education. In 2003, Montgomery was named as the first president of Pierpont Community & Technical College (formerly Fairmont State Community & Technical College). He has spent his entire career as part of the Pierpont and Fairmont State University family. Pierpont and FSU are separate institutions that share a main campus in Fairmont.
The Pierpont Board of Governors would like to hire a new president by April 2010 to allow the new president to have an opportunity to work with Montgomery before his retirement.
Myers McRae will conduct focus groups with faculty, staff, students and other groups on Tuesday, Dec. 15, and Wednesday, Dec. 16, and will meet with the Presidential Search Committee for its first meeting on Wednesday, Dec. 16. The purpose of the focus groups is to solicit input for developing a list of characteristics and qualifications for the next Pierpont president.
The schedule is as follows:
Tuesday, Dec. 15
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9-10 a.m., Focus group with Pierpont faculty in the Board Room, located on the third floor of the Falcon Center.
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10:30-11:30 a.m., Focus group with Pierpont classified staff in the Falcon Center Board Room.
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Noon-1 p.m., Focus group with Pierpont students in the Falcon Center Board Room.
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3-4 p.m., Focus group with community members and Pierpont/Fairmont State alumni in the third floor Falcon Center conference room.
Wednesday, Dec. 16
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9 -10 a.m., Focus group with Pierpont's President's Cabinet and deans in Room 303 of the Education Building.
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10:30 a.m.-noon, Presidential Search Committee meeting in Room 303 of the Education Building.
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1 to 2 p.m., Focus group with Pierpont faculty in Room 303 of the Education Building.
"Pierpont Community & Technical College would like to encourage our campus community and the public to take part in the scheduled focus groups," said Jennifer Weist, Assistant Vice President for Administration and Presidential Search Liaison. "We value your input in the presidential search process."
The firm of Myers McRae, based in Macon, Ga., began providing executive search counsel to colleges, universities, independent schools and not-for-profit organizations in 1984. For the past 25 years, the firm's practice has focused on recruiting executive officers and senior administrators for education institutions. The firm has conducted more than 200 academic executive searches, and often multiple searches for institutions. For more information, visit http://www.myersmcrae.com/.
