Kieft announces candidacy
Metro interim chief vies for president post
by Lindsay Sandham
The Metropolitan
(Photo by Leah Bluntsch - The Metropolitan)
Metro interim president Ray Kieft hard at work in his office in the Central classroom, room 315. Kieft was initially hired on to serve as president until a replacement for former president Sheila Kaplan, who resigned June last year, is found. In an Aug. 4 email, Kieft announced that he is applying for the permanent position.
Metro Interim President Ray Kieft announced his bid for the permanent position in an Aug. 4 campus-wide email.
Metro’s Board of Trustees hired Kieft in June 2003 to serve as college president until a replacement for former president Sheila Kaplan could be found.
Kaplan resigned June 13, 2003 after serving as president for 10 years.
Kieft was originally appointed for six months, but the search process has taken a lot longer than the board expected.
“So I flunked retirement,” Kieft said.
The search was completed June 30 but was extended so more candidates could apply and because the board and the faculty advisory committee did not want candidates to be interviewed on campus when school was not in session, said John Buechner, chair of the presidential search advisory committee.
The board appointed the search committee to review the credentials and experience of all applicants and those nominated by others.
Buechner served as president for the University of Colorado system, which is why he was selected last November as chair for the committee.
“I believe they (the board) would like to identify a president sometime this fall,” Kieft said.
Kieft had no initial intention of being a candidate himself and, prior to submitting his application, was even listed as a member of the presidential search advisory committee.
“My name was on the list of members for the search committee, but I did not participate in any of their deliberations,” he said.
After serving as president for 13 months Kieft now feels comfortable because he has a better understanding of Metro.
“I’ve just been so impressed with the people that are involved, their interest in Metro, their commitment to Metro, their focus on what I believe in: encouraging students’ success,” Kieft said.
“I know the people who make the place what it is: faculty, staff and students.”
Should he be selected for president, Kieft said his goals include keeping Metro affordable for students while maintaining/improving the quality of education.
“That’s the toughest part of the whole job...is maintaining and improving quality and at the same time dealing with a limited number of resources to do that,” he said.
Metro, along with all other state colleges and universities in Colorado, has been dealing with serious budget cuts for higher education.
“Everybody in higher ed and in state government acknowledges that we’re in a collision course, given the implications of amendment 23, the TABOR amendment and the overall revenue base for the state,” Kieft said. “If that is not addressed, public higher education as we know it is simply going to be devastated.”
Kieft and nine other college presidents from across the state have been working on a possible solution, which is basically to use the TABOR surplus and apply it to financial aid for students.
“The state provides financial aid monies to the colleges and universities for the students, and that’s at risk,” he said. “When the overall funding support for higher education declines, financial aid is part of that.”
That coincides with the commitment to try and stay affordable because when costs increase for students it’s important to try and provide financial assistance, he also said.
Once a new president is selected, all administrative positions will no longer be considered interim positions.
It is the responsibility of the college president to make permanent appointments.
“The new president should have as much flexibility and prerogative to appoint the individuals that he or she thinks would work best with whomever the president is and with others,” Kieft said. “That’s why you see so many interim positions.”
The interim title does not mean people have less responsibilities or aren’t as committed, he also said.
“They’ve all been here so they know Metro,” he said, regarding the current administration.
The search committee will meet at the end of August to review all applicants and nominations that have not yet been reviewed, including Kieft’s, Buechner said.
Buechner will then present the committee’s recommendations to the board at their next meeting scheduled Sept. 8.
The ultimate decision is up to the board.
“I’m as much for finding the best president for Metro as anybody else,” Kieft said.
“If it’s not me, I’ll be the first one to congratulate that person,” he also said.
“If I need to walk away, I will walk away, but I will carry with me great memories.”
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