The final three
Board of Trustees approves three finalists in the presidential search
June 12, 2020
After hours of interviews, the pool of 10 semi-finalists was reduced June 11 as Schoolcraft College’s Board of Trustees approved three presidential candidates for final interviews. The three finalists are: Dr. Glenn Cerny, Dr. Paul R. Watson II and Dr. Sherry Zylka.
The evening’s discussion was led by Brian Broderick, the Board’s Chair, as the Board reviewed the Presidential Search Committee’s observations from the interviews held over the last week. After going through candidate notes, a straw poll was taken to determine which candidates should move onto the final round.
Five candidates were eliminated unanimously, three candidates were approved unanimously, one candidate was contested in a three to three vote by the present board members and one candidate dropped out of the race before the meeting.
Board Secretary Joan Gebhardt motioned to pass the three candidates voted for unanimously through, leaving out the candidate who split the votes. After deliberating whether or not the contested candidate should be included in the final round of interviews, the motion was carried in a 6 to 0 vote.
All three candidates have experience working inside Michigan’s higher education system, with one candidate coming from inside Schoolcraft. Currently, Dr. Glenn Cerny serves the college as the Vice President and Chief Financial Officer. Dr. Paul R. Watson II serves as the Vice President of Instruction at Kellogg Community College in Battle Creek, Michigan. Lastly, Dr. Sherry Zylka, an alumna of Schoolcraft, currently serves as the President and CEO of Big Sandy Community and Technical College in Prestonsburg, Kentucky.
