Northland Community and Technical College expected to announce interim president Wednesday

Delaney Otto, Grand Forks Herald
·2 min read

Apr. 16—EAST GRAND FORKS — Northland Community and Technical College's interim president is expected to be announced on Wednesday, April 17, following a meeting by the Board of Trustees of the Minnesota State Colleges and Universities. Anthony Kinkel and Shari Olson are both up for the position, and each visited Northland's campuses earlier this month.

The board will hear Chancellor Scott Olson's recommendation and make a decision. Olson's recommendation comes following campus visits by the candidates, said Chad Sperling, director of marketing and communications at Northland.

"I hear a little bit of that chitter chatter going on," since the candidates' campus visits, Sperling said. "It's pretty positive. I think people are excited to hear the announcement."

Separate community, student and employee forum sessions were held during the visits to introduce the candidates to the campuses and hear from them, as well as ask them questions. Following the sessions, attendees were able to provide feedback on the candidates, Sperling said.

Both

Kinkel and Olson

have previous experience in secondary education and as college presidents. Kinkel was president of Pikes Peak Community College in Colorado from 2007 to 2010, Wichita State University-Tech in Kansas from 2010 to 2015 and Motlow State Community College in Tennessee from 2015 to 2017. Shari Olson was the president of Eastern Wyoming College from 2007 to 2008, interim president of Anoka Technical College in Minnesota from 2010 to 2011 and president of South Mountain Community College in Arizona from 2011 to 2022.

Both candidates said during their visits that they wouldn't make any significant changes while serving as president, Sperling said.

"Obviously that was a question that came up — 'Are you coming up here to make massive cuts, make massive changes for when the official president comes in a year later?'" he said. "Both of them said, it's really just coming in here to steady the ship."

The position for president is open due to the resignation of Sandy Kiddoo, who announced her plans to leave the college

last year

. Kiddoo, who became president in June 2021, will not renew her contract past its expiration date of June 30, 2024, she told the Herald on Tuesday, Oct. 31.