Debra Derr and Jacob Ng are the remaining finalists
Suzanne Miles has withdrawn from consideration for college president, The Mt. Hood Community College District Board of Education announced Wednesday, March 20.
We accepted her resignation and are committed to moving forward to identify the best president to lead MHCC, said Dave Shields, board chair. At this time, we do not anticipate expanding the number of finalists beyond the existing two.
Miles came under scrutiny recently in her role as interim chancellor of Pima Community College in Arizona.
According to an article published in the Arizona Star March 20, Miles decision came a few days after Pimas accreditor released a scathing investigative report about the schools top administrators.
The report describes corrupt hiring and contracting practices, a culture of fear and retribution created by abusive administrators and a dysfunctional board of governors that shirked its oversight duties and dismissed its critics.
The report alleges former Chancellor Roy Flores, who left the college under a cloud of sexual-harassment allegations, the Governing Board and current top administrators all committed "serious breaches" of ethical standards.
According to The Star, it wasn't clear if Miles decided to leave the top job on her own or was asked to step down. Brenda Even, chairwoman of Pimas Governing Board, did not respond to the newspaper's three requests for comment Tuesday.
Miles' last day will be April 12, according to The Star. She will stay on at Pima as president of the college's community campus.
Presidential forums at Mt. Hood
The remaining two finalists for the Mt. Hood position will participate in public forums Friday, April 5, in the Visual Arts Theatre on the Gresham Campus, 26000 S.E. Stark Street.
Each candidate will open with a five-minute statement, followed by 35 minutes of questions from the audience and a five-minute closing statement.
The forum for Debra Derr will be held 12:25-1:10 p.m. and the forum for Jacob Ng will be held 1:20 – 2:05 p.m. The board will interview the two finalists Saturday, April 6.
For more information on the candidates, visit mhcc.edu/presidentialsearch.