NCSDCC Questions and Answers 
from the List-Serve

Q: Does your state have policy on multi-year contracts for presidents? 

• Arkansas does not have such a policy.
  Steve Floyd, Ed.D
  Deputy Director for Academic Affairs                    
  Arkansas Department of Higher Education
  
  

• California: Local Boards of Trustees hire and fire the President.  There are no system-wide regulations on length of contract.
  Linda Michalowski, Director of Federal Relations for Tom Nussbaum, Chancellor
  California Community Colleges
          

• In Florida, State rule allows local boards of trustees to provide presidents with contracts of not less than one year, and not more than four years.
  J. David Armstrong, Executive Director
  Florida Community College System
  
  
• Under State Board Policy, contracts for presidents of  Georgia's State Technical Colleges are issued annually.
  Kenneth H. Breeden
  Commissioner
  Georgia Department of Technical & Adult Education 
  
  

• Idaho issues annual contracts/management letters.
  Gary Stivers
  executive director
  Idaho state Board of Education
  
  

• Kansas does not have a state policy on community college presidential contracts; that is strictly within the purview of the locally elected governing board.  I do know that multi-year contracts are not unusual.
  Joseph Emmons, Ed.D.
  Director of Curricular Affairs
  Kansas Board of Regents
  
  

• Maryland does not have a state policy on community college presidents'
  contracts.  That is a strictly local matter.
  David Sumler
  Director of Collegiate Affairs
  Maryland Higher Education Commission
  
  

• Massachusetts-Local Boards of Trustees hire and fire the President.  There are no system-wide regulations on length  of contract.
  Janice C. Motta
  Executive Director
  Massachusetts Community Colleges
  
  

• New Hampshire does not have state policy on community college presidents.
  Robert R. Clarke
  Chancellor
  Vermont State Colleges
  
  

• New Jersey: No state policy on presidents' contracts, though most (perhaps all) of our presidents do in fact have multi-year contracts.  Most are three-year rolling contracts; some have recently negotiated five-year contracts.
  Larry Nespoli
  President
  New Jersey Council of County Colleges
  
  

• New York: Local Board of Trustees responsibility in NY.
  Robert Brown
  Deputy to the Chancellor for Community Colleges
  State University of New York
  
  

• New Mexico does not have such a policy .  It is up to the local boards. We have year-to-year and multi-year CEO contracts in New Mexico.
• Frank Renz, Executive Director
  New Mexico Association of Community Colleges
  
  
• North Dakota- NDUS governing board policy states that the term of a president's initial contract may not exceed three years and terms of subsequent contracts may not exceed five years.
  Pat Seaworth for Larry Isaak, Chancellor
  North Dakota University System 
  
  
• In Rhode Island there is not a written policy. However, the S.O. P. has been to grant three-year contracts, with annual performance reviews for salary determination and the one prior to the last year, a more in-depth evaluation for renewal for three years. Therefore, the only acknowledgement of the three year contract is in the performance evaluation policy.
  Tom Sepe, President
  Community College of Rhode Island
  
  
• Texas does not have such a policy.  Texas does not have a community college system.  Each of our 50 community college districts has a locally-elected Board of Trustees from the taxing district.
  Glenda Barron
  Assistant Commissioner
  Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board
  
  
• Utah has no policy.
  Gary S. Wixom
  Assistant Commissioner
  Utah State Board of Regents
  
  

• In Vermont we have had a Board of Trustees philosophy that all administrators, including the Presidents and Chancellor, had one year appointments.  The Board altered their stance last summer when they awarded the Chancellor a three year contract.   There is the possibility of  longer contracts for the Presidents this year.  
  Robert G. Clarke, Chancellor
  Vermont State Colleges
  
  

• Washington does not have a policy, although multi-year contracts for presidents is a common practice in our system.
  Earl Hale
  Executive Director Washington State Board for Community and Technical Colleges
  
   
• Wyoming has no state policy on multi-year contracts for presidents. Local college boards routinely offer presidents multi-year contracts -  typically a three year rolling contract.       Bruce Snyder
  Executive Director
  Wyoming Community College Commission

Earl Hale, Executive Director
National Council of State Directors of Community Colleges
AACC One Dupont Circle, NW
Suite 410
Washington, DC 20036
Phone: (202)728-0200
Fax: (202)833-2467
Listserv: us@statedirectors.org

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• Transfer and Articulation

The National Council of State Directors of Community Colleges is an affiliated council of the American Association of Community Colleges (AACC).  The council provides a forum for the exchange of information about developments, trends, and problems in state systems of community colleges.  

Through our affiliation with AACC, we also strive to affect national legislation that impacts our colleges and state agencies.

This is the only Council that represents the collective interest of state agencies and state boards of community colleges.  This council is a valuable forum to help state directors deal with the changes in attitude and policies towards community colleges at the international, federal, state and local levels.  We will share information and learn lessons from each other to better serve the interests of our institutions in the coming years.

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