MSJC Presidential Search Announcement
October 17, 2025
Mt. San Jacinto College Community
As you may already know, our longtime and highly successful superintendent/president, Dr. Roger Schultz, has announced his retirement, effective this summer. His remarkable leadership and many contributions have created a legacy that will continue to positively shape MSJC for years to come. While we will miss him greatly, we wish him the very best in his next chapter. There will be many opportunities in the coming months to thank him and celebrate his accomplishments. And, of course, we know he will continue working tirelessly on behalf of MSJC until his very last day with us.
In the meantime, on behalf of the Mt. San Jacinto College Board of Trustees, I am pleased to announce that we have begun the search to identify the next Superintendent/President of Mt. San Jacinto College. At a Special Board Meeting on October 14, 2025, the Mt. San Jacinto Community College District Board of Trustees approved the selection of a CEO search firm to facilitate the recruitment of the District's next Superintendent/President. We are fully committed to conducting an equitable, inclusive, and transparent national search that will attract a strong and diverse pool of candidates from throughout California and the nation.
The Association of Community College Trustees (ACCT) has been selected to assist us with the Superintendent/President search process. ACCT's assistance will include providing support with the development of the Superintendent/President Profile, recruiting highly competitive candidates, and working extensively with the District and the Board of Trustees. ACCT has conducted over 750 community college searches and brings a wealth of knowledge and expertise to our process. ACCT's mission is to strengthen community college governance through education and advocacy.
Pamila Fisher, Ed.D., will serve as our ACCT Search Consultant and will assist the District throughout this important process. Many of you know Dr. Fisher. She is very familiar with MSJC as she has facilitated the President's Leadership Academy for the last seven years, as well as worked with the Board of Trustees during our annual retreats. Dr. Fisher has been conducting national presidential searches through ACCT since 2006. Her bio is at: Pamila Fisher, Ed.D. – ACCT Searches. Locally, working closely with Dr. Fisher and the Board as the Search Liaison will be Jacqua Morrison, Director of Board and Executive Services.
President Profile Development: Survey
An early and important step in the Presidential search process is the development
of the Presidential Profile. The entire District community is invited and encouraged
to participate in a survey about the qualities, characteristics, and qualifications
we are seeking in the next Superintendent/President of Mt. San Jacinto College, as
well as the opportunities and challenges facing the District in the years to come.
We want your input and hope you will complete the survey. Your comments will be confidential
and will be sent directly to ACCT.
The survey is available at: https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/RNFVMKJ
Please submit your survey feedback no later than 5:00 pm (Pacific) on October 28, 2025.
The Presidential Search Committee
The Presidential Search Committee will be appointed by the Board of Trustees. It will
be comprised of representatives from constituent groups. The leadership of those groups
will be consulted regarding nominations for those positions. The charge to the Search
Committee will be to review the confidential applications, select and interview semifinalist
candidates, and identify 3-4 final candidates to be forwarded to the Board of Trustees
for further consideration. All Search Committee activity MUST remain confidential!
Recruitment
Our recruitment efforts will involve an open and thorough national search, seeking
qualified candidates from all regions of the country. ACCT specializes in one-to-one
recruitment of community college leaders. Additionally, to assist with this process,
advertisements will be placed in the Chronicle of Higher Education and other major
publications and websites.
Final Candidates
Final candidates will participate in open forums at Mt. San Jacinto College. All employees,
students, and community members will be invited to attend the open forums. Following
each individual forum, attendees can provide feedback electronically that will be
shared with the Board of Trustees. We anticipate the forums to take place in April.
Dates, times, and locations will be provided once confirmed. The Board of Trustees
will receive comprehensive background checks on the finalists completed by ACCT and
will, of course, interview the finalists and make the final decision.
Presidential Search Webpage
To ensure open communication throughout this process, a Presidential Search Webpage
will be developed for our website. It will include information on all aspects of the
search, including the profile, the timeline, the process for applying, the Search
Committee membership, and all progress reports. The Presidential Search Webpage will
be developed in the coming weeks, and you will be advised once it is available. Please
check it out and encourage others interested to do the same.
Going Forward
We will be as transparent as possible until confidentiality is required. If you have
any questions or suggestions, please feel free to reach out to our ACCT Consultant.
She also welcomes nominations of persons you believe would be strong candidates. To
do this, please share with her a brief statement as to why you recommend them and
provide their personal contact information. After that, she will reach out to them
without mentioning your name.
She can be reached as follows:
Pamila Fisher, Ed.D., ACCT Consultant, at pamilajfisher@gmail.com or (406) 570-0516 (mobile).
We will continue to keep you updated on this important process. Thank you ahead of
time for participating in the survey and in the open forums in the Spring. Thank you,
too, for all you do for our students every day!
Tom Ashley, President
Board of Trustees
Mt. San Jacinto College