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Community report

HCC names president of new campus

By SAUNDRA AMRHEIN
Published April 28, 2006

After a search of more than six months, a new president has been chosen for Hillsborough Community College's new South Shore campus.

George Keith, the vice chancellor for academic and student affairs at Oakfield Community College in Michigan, starts in Ruskin on July 1, HCC spokesman John Huerta said. He will earn an annual salary of $120,000.

Keith, who has a doctorate in philosophy, worked his way up at Oakfield from a teaching position to dean to a campus president to his current position, according to his resume.

In an interview, Keith said he was attracted to the idea of leading a new campus.

Construction of the $9-million building on 60 acres of donated land north of College Avenue could end by fall 2007. Classes are expected to begin in January 2008.

"Both my wife and I are very excited about the move,'' he said. The pair have three grown children. They have vacationed often in Sarasota and are familiar with the area, he said.

More than 80 people applied for the position, said Carlos Soto, president of the Brandon campus and head of the selection committee. The committee narrowed the list of candidates to about a dozen, based on guidelines from college president Gwendolyn Stephenson.

The list then was narrowed to four or five before the committee sent its top three picks to the college president to decide.

"I think the guy has a really extensive background,'' Soto said of Keith. "He's been part of expansion teams to develop new campuses where he's at. He brings a wealth of background.''

Saundra Amrhein can be reached at 813 661-2441 or amrhein@sptimes.com.

[Last modified April 27, 2006, 14:02:49]