Goswami resigns as VP of Academic Affairs at Yavapai College

Dr. Uptal Goswami has resigned as Vice President of Academic and Student Affairs and has been reassigned to special projects, according to a Yavapai College press release sent out on March 30, 2010.

According to Rose Hurley, director of Human Resources, Dr. Goswami is still employed by Yavapai College until his resignation date on June 30, 2010.

“New opportunities are always exciting,” said Hurley, concerning Dr. Goswami’s future.

It is typical for people in Higher-Ed jobs to be assigned to special assignments during the end of their employment, according to Hurley.

Most of Goswami’s duties now consist of wrapping up his work and transitioning out of his office; other work may be assigned as well, says Hurley.

To fill the open position, YC is “working with an executive search firm,” said Hurley. Cizek and Associates are filtering through all the applicants to narrow down qualified candidates for interviews.

“They [Cizek and Associates] fly around the country and meet with the finalists…They know us well,” says Hurley. Once they interview the finalists they pick only a few candidates to interview with the YC Governing Board.

Applications are being accepted until May 21, 2010. The job opening has been posted online in a few places like higheredjobs.com and on Yavapai College’s website.

The job will be filled well before the fall semester, hopefully by July 1, according to Hurley.ÂÂ Some candidates may not be able to move in such a short time, so the July 1 date is intended but is not a strict deadline.

“The title that we advertised is not Provost…we advertised Vice President of Academic and Student Affairs,” said Hurley. Provost is more of a working title not the official title.

“The Vice President is responsible for a $21 million budget and currently manages a leadership team that includes Student Affairs, Occupational Programs, Campus/Site Deans, Continuing Education, OLLI and Institutional Research, along with several other staff members,” says the position profile on yc.edu.

The position requires a Masters degree, but many members of the faculty, instructional staff and the leadership team, want someone with a doctoral degree for the position.

YC faculty and staff were given an opportunity to fill out confidential surveys in which they could indicate other qualities they’d like to see in the new Vice President. The surveys will help the search firm find a good match for YC, according to Hurley.