EVERETT — Henry Cogswell College has narrowed its search for a new president to two candidates.
Frederick Snow, vice president and dean of online graduate programs at Norwich University in Vermont, and Homer Garcia, dean of the college of social and behavioral sciences at the University of Texas Pan American, will visit the private college in downtown Everett later this week.
"We were quite satisfied with the quality of the applicants," college spokesman Dick Doughty said Monday.
There were more than 30 candidates. The college interviewed five before the two top candidates were chosen.
The final decision rests with a San Diego-based foundation board that oversees Cogswell, along with two other colleges and two private social service agencies.
William Pickens, chancellor of the Foundation for Educational Achievement, which oversees Henry Cogswell College, said the board wants to find a president who can improve the college’s visibility — "not just as a Snohomish County presence but with a statewide name as well."
"Both of them are very impressive in getting out in the community, seeking grants and getting their campuses well known," he said of the two finalists.
The new president could be on the job by early March, he said.
Both candidates will meet with students, faculty administrators and alumni.
Snow will tour the college Wednesday. He received his doctorate in international business and economics from Kent State University and his master’s in business administration from Penn State University. He worked in the private sector before becoming a professor of management and an administrator at Norwich in 1996.
Garcia will be on campus Thursday. He earned his doctorate in sociology from Yale University and a bachelor’s degree in government from the University of Texas. He served on the faculties of Baylor University in Texas and Pitzer College, which is part of the Claremont College system in Los Angeles. He also has been vice provost for academic planning at Baylor and vice president for academic affairs at the University of St. Francis in Texas.
The college began looking for a new president when Ron Hundley announced his resignation in July so he could move to the East Coast to be closer to his family. Hundley will help with the transition.
Hundley guided the college’s move to Everett in 1995, helped it acquire the old Federal Building for its main campus building and weaned it of its dependence on the Boeing Co. for the bulk of its tuition. Where once roughly 85 percent of its student body received Boeing-related tuition, that percentage is now less than 20 percent.
Enrollment hovers around 300 but the college hopes its new president can help it grow steadily in the years ahead. Last year, Henry Cogswell College unveiled plans that could triple the size of its downtown campus over the next decade. Much would have to fall into place, from fund-raising to property acquisition, but the college hopes to eventually expand enrollment to 1,000.
The college offers majors in business administration, computer sciences, digital arts, electrical engineering and mechanical engineering, along with continuing education classes.
Pickens said the college will also be looking to expand its business course offerings along with online classes.
Reporter Eric Stevick: 425-339-3446 or stevick@heraldnet.com.
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