Three finalists announced in Grand Rapids Community College president search
GRAND RAPIDS — Three finalists have been announced for the next president of Grand Rapids Community College.
GRCC is replacing Bill Pink, who took over as president at Ferris State University in July. Juan Olivarez, another former GRCC president, has been serving as interim during the search.
The finalists for the position are Stuart Blacklaw, Tim Casper and Charles Lepper. Each candidate is currently serving in a leadership position at a college in another state.
Candidates will visit campus for a community forum and public interview with the GRCC Board of Trustees. Blacklaw is scheduled for Tuesday, Oct. 18, followed by Lepper on Oct. 19 and Casper on Oct. 24.
Forums will run from 2:30-3:30 p.m. with interviews from 3:45-5:15 p.m, all in the auditorium of the Wisner-Bottrall Applied Technology Center.
“I’m impressed by the quality of the candidates, all with careers supporting students and their communities,” Board of Trustees Chairperson David Koetje wrote in a statement. “We are looking forward to getting to know them better, hearing their vision for leading GRCC into the future.”
Trustees hope to have a new president in place by Jan. 1.
Blacklaw is currently the provost and executive vice president at the Community College of Allegheny County in Pittsburgh, a role he’s held since 2015. He was an assistant dean at GRCC for the 2001-02 academic year.
Other previous roles include administrator positions with Yavapai College in Arizona, Washtenaw Community College in Ann Arbor and Monroe Community College in Rochester, New York. Blacklaw also taught communication and media studies at Olivet College for 12 years.
He holds degrees from Olivet College, the University of Michigan and Capella University.
Casper has worked at Madison Area Technical College in Madison, Wisconsin, since 2011. He is the vice president for student affairs and institutional effectiveness. Prior to his post, Casper was the deputy secretary of the Wisconsin Department of Revenue and was a senior adviser to former Gov. Jim Doyle.
He's also held positions at the Wisconsin Department of Health and Family Services, the Wisconsin Legislature, and the University of Wisconsin-Madison. He earned degrees from the University of Wisconsin-Green Bay, University of Wisconsin-Madison and Edgewood College.
Lepper is the vice president for student affairs and enrollment management at Salt Lake Community College in Salt Lake City. He’s served in that position since 2015 and provides leadership to each of the college’s 10 campuses.
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He previously held leadership roles at Tidewater Community College in Norfolk, Virginia, and Ivy Tech Community College of Indiana in Indianapolis. Lepper earned degrees from Ball State University, Grand Valley State University and Indiana State University.
— Contact reporter Mitchell Boatman at mboatman@hollandsentinel.com. Follow him on Twitter @SentinelMitch.
This article originally appeared on The Holland Sentinel: Grand Rapids Community College narrows president search to three
