[img]1769|right|Dr. Mark Rocha||no_popup[/img]President Mark Rocha has applied, been interviewed, held an open forum with students and staff and is one of three finalists for the position of president at Kingsborough Community College in Brooklyn, according to Kingsborough officials.
The decision to offer Rocha the position may come within the next couple of weeks, officials said. Kingsborough is part of 23 other institutions of higher education in the City University of New York — or CUNY — public college system.
“CUNY conducted a national search and Dr. Rocha, a respected educator, is one of the finalists for the Kingsborough presidency,” said Jay Hershenson, Senior Vice Chancellor for University Relations and Secretary of the Board of Trustees. “After several on-campus meetings these three finalists were recommended by the search committee,” Mr. Hershenson said.
The chancellor will assess the candidates. He is expected to recommend one to the KCC Board of Trustees during its June 30 meeting.
Pasadena City College board members were unaware of Dr. Rocha’s job search.
“I hadn’t heard,” board member Linda Wah said in an email. “I will have to see if President Fellow has heard anything.”
In a telephone interview with the Courier from Italy where he is working, Board President Anthony Fellow declined to comment on Dr. Rocha’s candidacy for the Brooklyn position.
“He’s a good president,” Mr. Fellow said. “But I would rather not comment at this time of what I know or don’t know regarding this matter.”
Dr. Rocha’s original contract with the District began in July 2010 and ran through this month. Last October the board extended Rocha’s contract through June 2017.
Dr. Rocha’s annual salary is $254,000, but his current contract may be up for review next month.
“The District will consider reviewing this contract on or about July 1, 2014,” according to Dr. Rocha’s contract, which is posted on the PCC website.
The other two finalists for the Kingsborough presidency are Farley Herzek, interim president for Los Angeles Harbor College, and Kenneth Saunders, acting president of Nassau Community College in New York.
