College of Southern Nevada close to getting new president

The College of Southern Nevada might have a new leader by Friday.

From all over the United States and with an array of higher education management experiences, the four finalists for the presidency post met with the campus community in public forums this week.

They fielded questions from faculty and staff, and on Thursday they will answer questions during a public interview session with the CSN president search committee.

The committee, composed of regents and community members, will probably make a recommendation and bring it to the full Board of Regents for a vote Friday.

Utpal Goswami

Goswami got his start in higher education at Schreiner University in Kerrville, Texas, where he helped students move onto graduate-level education at Ivy League schools.

“I felt hollow inside because when you’re trying to do that, with that mindset, you’re focused on finding the best and the brightest,” he said. “As a society, we have to take care of everybody.”

He made the switch to two-year college administration in the early 2000s. Since 2013, Goswami has been president of Metropolitan Community College-Maple Woods in Kansas City, Missouri.

In his role, Goswami said he’s helped increase the fall-to-spring and fall-to-fall retention rates of the student body.

“I’m passionate about improving student success,” he said.

David Oehler, dean of instruction for MCC-Maple Woods, said once Goswami learns and reviews CSN’s data, he should have ideas and suggestions on ways to improve its retention and graduation rates. Under Goswami’s leadership, Maple Woods created a honors program and is working to compete more directly with four-year schools by improving the look and feel of the campus and its offerings, Oehler said.

“He’s great at setting a vision and relying on people to use their own abilities and creativity to move toward that vision,” Oehler said.

Keith C. Curry

For Curry, student success begins at home with his second-grade son. And this week, his son’s goal was to pass his spelling test. Curry carries that focus on student success to Compton College in Compton, California, where he has been president and CEO since 2011.

“My slogan started with, ‘Every student is a success story,’ ” he said. “That first day they’re on our campus, that’s the beginning of their story. Our job is to help them with their success.”

Curry said he listened to students when they said they needed Wi-Fi on campus, and he worked to secure $4 million to make that happen.

He also obtained accreditation for the college, which, lost it more than a decade ago because of administrative failure and widespread corruption, according to the Los Angeles Times. The graduation rate has increased from 14 percent to 15 percent under his leadership.

“It’s 1 percent. It didn’t go down,” he said. “If it moves by 1 percent, or 0.5 percent, that’s progress, but we can’t stop doing that work.”

Feleccia R. Moore-Davis

As provost of Tallahassee Community College in Tallahassee, Florida, Moore-Davis said everything she does is about student success and completion, and she believes CSN can be a forerunner in the areas of access, equity and success.

She said it’s not enough to get students in and out with a degree. The school should ensure they can secure a job with family-sustaining wages.

“I don’t want to hear that our graduates are working at McDonald’s as a result of being part of our program,” she said. “But that they’re gainfully employed (in positions) that we helped to put them in.”

Sheri Rowland, vice president for student affairs at TCC, said in the 23 years she’s worked in education, Moore-Davis’s compassion and care for students stands out. Rowland said Moore-Davis is also “equity-minded,” ensuring the college can meet the needs of students from all races, ethnicities and backgrounds.

She said Moore-Davis formed the college’s inaugural Diversity, Inclusion and Equity Council and is creating a sister-to-sister mentoring program.

Federico Zaragoza

Zaragoza said he’s a “dreamer.” He moved to the United States with his mother, who was a citizen, after he was born in Mexico City.

“We were raised by a single mom, and so a lot of who I am, and my values, go back to that foundation,” he said. “She instilled education as the means for us moving forward in American society.”

He has served as the vice chancellor for economic and workforce development for the Alamo Community College District in San Antonio, Texas, since 2004. When he assumed the position, the graduation rate was 9 percent. It’s now 20 percent.

“We’ve been on that journey to move that needle,” he said. “That happened because I believe we unleashed the power of institution.”

Bruce Leslie, chancellor for the Alamo Colleges District, said Zaragoza is highly regarded not only in his office, but regionally, nationally and internationally. He helped create the Alamo Academies, a partnership with industry leaders and the city of San Antonio, to prepare high school students for high-wage and high-skill careers. Leslie said about 100 companies use the program.

“He’s very attentive to the whole process of moving a student, whether he’s an adult learner or an economically challenged individual, from education and training into employment,” Leslie said.

Contact Natalie Bruzda at nbruzda@reviewjournal.com or 702-477-3897. Follow @NatalieBruzda on Twitter.