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Reminder Assistant Editor WESTFIELD Mother Nature threw a curveball on Dec. 14, according to Westfield State College's interim president Barry Maloney. That was the day the newly elected college president was to be approved of by the New England Board of Higher Education, but unfortunately, the snowstorm that struck the night before delayed those plans. The Westfield State College (WSC) Board of Trustees voted unanimously on Dec. 12 to appoint Evan Dobelle to the position of president. The other top-rated candidates included Michael Gargano Jr. and Maureen Powers. After an open meeting attended by more than 100 on-campus participants, the board's decision to appoint Dobelle occurred after an executive session lasting less than 20 minutes. Tim Murphy, an associate vice president, said the Board of Higher Education's approval should take place sometime in early January. "It's fair to say the feeling on campus is positive," Craig Phelon, a spokesperson for the college, said. "It's like a sigh of relief. [Not having a president] was this thing hanging over us. It is good to have this taken care of before the holidays." Dobelle is currently the president and CEO of the New England Board of Higher Education and in the past has served as president of the University of Hawaii system, the City College of San Francisco, Middlesex Community College and Trinity College in Hartford, Conn. The Pittsfield resident also served as the city's mayor from 1973 to 1976. An editorial in the Hartford Courant stated, "Dobelle, the former president of Trinity College who gained national acclaim for godfathering the Learning Corridor in Hartford, is back where he belongs: running a college." The editorial continued, "Westfield's 4,800 students, its faculty and its trustees should feel good about having landed the visionary Mr. Dobelle ... He is capable of working wonders. Westfield State College is lucky to have a president of his caliber." Acting Mayor Charles Medeiros hopes Dobelle will do for Westfield what he did for Hartford. "Everybody comes in talking about linking the college and the city," Medeiros said. "I hope Dobelle is truthful. I would love to see it being a closer relationship. When they help us, we help them." Two of the main goals Medeiros is looking to accomplish with Dobelle's community-focused plans are to have WSC students help out the community more and for there to be more downtown interaction with both the students and the faculty of the college. He said the Juniper Park Elementary School project's cooperation between the college and the city was "one of the best things that has happened to us because of our partnership." "The college is an asset to Westfield," Medeiros said. "There are so many other ways we could be working together, if he [Dobelle] is willing and wants to work with us." "He did wonderful things for Hartford. He improved the surrounding community and the college," Phelon stated. He added that Dobelle had interesting visions for the WSC campus. After approval from the Board of Higher Education, Dobelle will begin working with Maloney to settle into the president's position. "I'll be very involved in the transitional process," Maloney explained. "It will be difficult, coming in mid-stream like he is, at the crossing over of the semesters." He continued the college is in "an excellent position" with Dobelle's arrival and that he supported the Board of Trustee's decision to appoint Dobelle. "He was clearly the best candidate for the job," Maloney said. "We're excited and we're looking forward to his arrival." Maloney, who served as a vice president before taking up the interim president position, will most likely return to that position after Dobelle joins WSC. In a prepared statement from the college, Dobelle stated, "The honor that the search committee and the board have given to me is one I accept with great passion and devotion to the faculty, staff, students and alumni of Westfield State. I look forward to listening carefully and providing leadership to our academic community." Dobelle, after final approval, will become the 19th president of WSC. | ||||||
