Malvern college hires Schoonmaker as chief

MALVERN — Stephen Schoonmaker, a veteran community college administrator, has been hired as the College of the Ouachitas new president.

He is the vice president of instruction at Clatsop Community College, a two-year college in Astoria, Ore. The college has about 7,000 students. Before that, he was vice president of instruction and student services at SouthwesternOregon Community College.

Overall, he has more than 20 years of experience at twoyear and four-year schools.

Schoonmaker will start his new job in January. He succeeds Barry Ballard, who announced his retirement in May at the 1,405-student campus.

The College of the Ouachitas board of trustees selected Schoonmaker after a nationwide search that produced more than 50 applicants.

Schoonmaker, whose annual salary will be $137,340, was among five candidates recommended to the board by a 15-member presidential search committee. The board chose three finalists for campus and community tours, meetings with faculty and staff members, and public sessions.

Each finalist gave a presentation to college employees, board members and community leaders, followed by a formal interview with the college’s trustees.

“Dr. Schoonmaker seemed to connect very well with our faculty and staff,” Jean Harper, the board chairman, said in a statement. “He is a tremendous communicator. And he demonstrated a sincere passion for the college and for his work as an executive.”

She said that each board member received comments from students, faculty and staff members about candidate preferences, and there was strong support for Schoonmaker.

“Dr. Ballard has been a great leader for us these past 11 years, and we believe Dr. Schoonmaker is a winner and can be a very effective leader for us going forward,” she said.

Schoonmaker received a doctorate degree in educational administration from New Mexico State University, a Master of Science degree in college student personnel administration from Western Illinois University and a Bachelor of Arts in sociology from the University of Vermont.

“There is no greater calling in my mind than to help [the College of the Ouachitas] ‘continually identify and address the changing and learning needs of the communities we serve,’” Schoonmaker said in a statement, referring to the college’s mission statement.