The Merced Community College Board of Trustees has begun the search for the next Superintendent/President of Merced College and is hoping that the community can help in more ways than one. The District has scheduled community forums for the public to attend, and is also asking community members to serve on the presidential search committee.

“Community involvement in the presidential search is really crucial,” said Board President Dennis Jordan.

Seven community forums have been scheduled, giving members of the public the opportunity to express their opinions on the characteristics they would like to see in the college’s next president.

The scheduled forums will all be held from 5:30 p.m. to 6:30 p.m. at various locations, as follows: July 12 at Le Grand High School, 12961 E. Le Grand Road in Le Grand; July 14 at Rivera Middle School, Multi-Purpose Room, 945 Buena Vista Drive in Merced; July 18 at Cruickshank Middle School, Multi-Purpose Room, 601 Mercy Ave. in Merced; July 19 at Peggy Heller Elementary School, Multi-Purpose Room, 201 Lake View Drive in Atwater; July 20 at Prusso Child Development Center, 848 Prusso Street in Livingston; July 26 at Merced College Los Banos Campus, 22240 Highway 152 in Los  Banos; July 27 or July 28 at Chowchilla High School, 805 Humboldt Ave. in Chowchilla.

Merced College is also accepting applications from interested area community members to serve on its presidential search committee.  Committee membership is expected to be approved by the Merced Community College District Board of Trustees at its September 13 meeting.

“Those who are interested in serving on the search committee should know that this is a serious commitment of time,” said Jordan.

Members of the committee will be expected to attend every meeting and all interviews.  This includes approximately four partial days for review of applications, two partial days for preliminary committee work, two full days for conducting interviews and possible attendance at the Board meeting where the committee recommendations will be presented. 

The deadline for submitting an application is July 15, and the application can be found at http://www.mccd.edu/offices/hr/jobs/president-search/community-involvement/index.html.

For more information on Merced College’s presidential search, the community forums or the presidential search committee, contact executive assistant Stacey Martinez in Merced College’s Office of the President at 209-384-6100.