Bahamian candidates considered for the position of president of The College of The Bahamas (COB) will be offered remuneration packages competitive to opportunities elsewhere, COB Council Chairman Alfred Sears told The Bahama Journal yesterday.

The college’s Advisory Search Committee, appointed to spearhead the recruitment of a new president for the institution, is now in the recruitment phase of the search.

The 12-member search committee has stated that COB’s next president must be a Bahamian citizen.

Mr. Sears said that despite COB’s current precarious financial state, suitable candidates will be offered competitive packages in order to ensure that the institution is led by the Bahamian person best suited for the position.

He also dismissed assertions that the committee would be unable to find a Bahamian meeting its criteria.

“For Bahamians, the Council and the Search Committee and the minister are very clear that our intention is to attract a qualified Bahamian person to serve as the president of the college and to lead us into the University of The Bahamas,” Mr. Sears said. “I do not believe that it will be difficult for us to attract a Bahamian because we will provide a competitive package.”

“The budget of COB which is currently about $54 million and given the mandate that this new president will have – that is to build the endowment of the institution, it is clearly recognised that the remuneration package that will have to be provided to attract a high-flyer will have to be competitive.”

Mr. Sears added that the Council has done a year’s worth of international and local consultations and has found highly qualified Bahamians working in multilateral organisations like the United Nations as well as universities and university organisations around the world.

He reiterated his confidence that the pool is sufficiently large and competitive enough to select a suitable Bahamian president.

“I believe that with the added benefit of a Bahamian who would have a commitment to The Bahamas –whether that person is here or in the Diaspora that will be an added incentive to the candidate who ultimately emerges to see this as a viable option,” the council president said. “It will give that person a unique opportunity to help in the nation-building process of leading an institution that is critical which is critical to increasing and expanding the competitive capacity of our country and helping and assisting with building the cultural capacity of our country.”
The recruitment phase of the search process is step three of five steps that reflect the best practices for executive searches for colleges and universities worldwide.

After the recruitment phase is complete, the committee will move to the evaluation and decision phases of the process with the new president expected to take office during the latter half of next year.