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Ramapo College of New Jersey’s 2021 Presidential Search

Thanks in large part to the range of thoughtful stakeholder input throughout the past 15+ months of the College’s presidential search process, Ramapo College generated an informative needs assessment, advanced a compelling position profile, and launched a strategic recruitment strategy to help attract its next president.

Our recruitment effort yielded a diverse pool of 103 candidates.  The 14 voting members of the Search Committee were tasked with evaluating all 103 applicants against the leadership opportunities, qualifications, and preferred attributes noted in the position profile.  Following the evaluations, the Search Committee identified an unranked list of semifinalists. During the month of November 2020, the Search Committee conducted nine virtual semifinalist interviews.

In December 2020, the Search Committee met and unanimously and enthusiastically recommended four finalists*, unranked, to the Board of Trustees for consideration as Ramapo College’s fifth president.

*On 2/2/21 the College was advised that one of the four finalists withdrew from the search.

Finalists (in alphabetical order):

Laurie Carter, J.D. | President/Chief Executive Officer, Shippensburg University

Education

  • J.D., Rutgers University School of Law
  • M.A., Communications, William Paterson College
  • B.S., Communications, Clarion State College

Professional Highlights

  • Shippensburg University (2017 – present)
    • President/Chief Executive Officer
  • Eastern Kentucky University (2014 – 2017)
    • Executive Vice President and University Counsel
    • Executive Vice President for Student Success and University Counsel
    • Graduate Faculty
  • New Jersey Performing Arts Center (2013 – 2014)
    • Vice President for Arts Education
  • The Juilliard School (1988 – 2013)
    • Vice President and General Counsel/Founding Executive Director of Jazz Studies
    • Vice President for Legal and Student Affairs/Founding Executive Director of Jazz Studies
    • Associate Vice President, Legal and Student Affairs
    • Graduate Faculty
    • Liberal Arts Faculty

Visit Details, Town Hall, and Sharing Post-visit Perspectives

  • President Carter visted campus on Wednesday, February 10 and Thursday, February 11, 2021.
  • President Carter hosted a Town Hall with Q&A on February 10 at 1PM. All were welcome to attend.
    • Topic: Ensuring the Value of Public Higher Education and the Liberal Arts in the 21st Century
    • A recording of the Town Hall session was available on the Office of the President Intranet Site through to February 15.

__________

Maria Gallo, Ph.D. | President, Delaware Valley University

Education

  • Ph.D., Genetics, North Carolina State University
  • M.S., Crop Science, North Carolina State University
  • B.S., Agronomy, Cornell University

Professional Highlights

  • Delaware Valley University (2016 – present)
    • President
  • University of Hawai‘i at Mānoa (2012 – 2016)
    • Dean, College of Tropical Agriculture and Human Resources
    • Director for Research, College of Tropical Agriculture and Human Resources
    • Director for Cooperative Extension, College of Tropical Agriculture and Human Resources
    • Full Professor, Department of Molecular Biosciences and Bioengineering
  • University of Florida (1996 – 2012)
    • Chair, Agronomy Department
    • Full Professor, Genetics Institute, Agronomy Department, Plant Molecular and Cellular Biology Program
    • Associate Professor, Genetics Institute, Agronomy Department, Plant Molecular and Cellular Biology Program
    • Assistant Professor, Agronomy Department, Plant Molecular and Cellular Biology Program
  • University of Minnesota (1994 – 1996)
    • Assistant Professor, Department of Agronomy and Plant Genetics, and Plant Molecular Genetics Institute
  • Texas A&M University (1991 – 1994)
    • Postdoctoral Research Associate

Visit Details, Town Hall, and Sharing Post-visit Perspectives

__________

Cindy R. Jebb, Ph.D., Brigadier General, U.S. Army | Dean of Academic Board/Chief Academic Officer, United States Military Academy at West Point

Education

  • Ph.D., Philosophy in Political Science, Duke University
  • M.A., National Security and Strategic Studies, Naval War College
  • M.A., Political Science, Duke University
  • B.S., U.S. Military Academy at West Point

Professional Highlights

  • United States Military Academy at West Point (1998 – present)
    • Dean of the Academic Board/Chief Academic Officer
    • Professor and Department Head, Department of Social Sciences
    • Professor and Deputy Head, Department of Social Sciences
    • Director of Comparative Politics
  • National Security Agency (1996 – 1998)
    • Military Intelligence Officer, Deputy Commander
    • Military Intelligence Officer, Operations Officer
  • III Corps., U.S. Army (1986 – 1990)
    • Military Intelligence Officer, Executive Officer
    • Military Intelligence Officer, Supply Officer
    • Military Intelligence Officer, Company Commander
    • Military Intelligence Officer, Test Officer for Joint Intelligence Systems (Germany, Korea)
  • N.A.T.O Assignments, U.S. Army, West Germany (1983 – 1986)
    • Military Intelligence Officer, Executive Officer
    • Military Intelligence Officer, Supply Officer
    • Military Intelligence Officer, Assistant Intelligence Officer

Visit Details, Town Hall, and Sharing Post-visit Perspectives

  • Dr. Jebb visited campus on Monday, February 8 and Tuesday, February 9, 2021.
  • Dr. Jebb hosted a Town Hall with Q&A on February 8 at 1PM. All were welcome to attend.
    • Topic: Ensuring the Value of Public Higher Education and the Liberal Arts in the 21st Century
    • A recording of the Town Hall session was available on the Office of the President Intranet Site through to February 11.

Virtual “Visits”

Finalist “visits”  took place over the course of two days each in February.  These “visits” were entirely virtual and featured a town hall/presentation forum as well as a series of meetings with a range of stakeholders. The meetings provided opportunity for College stakeholders to get to know the candidates and for the candidates to get to know the Ramapo community. Participation was encouraged. Recordings of the town hall/presentations were made available to members of the College. Other meetings were not recorded.

VIRTUAL “VISIT” ITINERARIES

Post-visit Perspectives

Following each finalist’s “visit”, members of the College were asked to complete the Post-visit Evaluations linked to above. The evaluations solicited community members’ overall assessment of and perspectives on the finalist. Evaluation responses were not attributable. The responses were provided to the Board of Trustees.

Selection & Announcement

The responsibility to select and appoint Ramapo College’s fifth president rests with the Board of Trustees. Following the virtual visits and the review of the full search record, the Board of Trustees noticed and convened an executive (closed) session as part of a special meeting on February 26, 2021 to discuss the finalists. The Board of Trustees then again noticed and convened a special meeting on March 5, 2021 durign which it took action to announce and appoint the College’s fifth president.

Additional information regarding the fiduciary duties and statutory responsibility of the Board of Trustees is available at www.ramapo.edu/board.

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