John Nader Among 4 Finalists
For Herkimer College President
Dr. John S. Nader, SUNY Delhi provost and former mayor of Oneonta, is one of four finalists for president of Herkimer County Community College. The college announced today that the four will be invited to Herkimer in December for campus forums before a final decision is made.
The other three are Dr. Eunice Bellinger, vice president/academic affairs, Niagara County Community College; Dr. Stuart T. Blacklaw, vice president for instruction and student services, Yavapai College, Prescott, Ariz., and Dr. Cathleen C. McColgin, provost, Onondaga Community College.
Nader has served as provost at SUNY Delhi since 2009, where he directly supervises all academic programs, as well as the library and learning center, career and business services, grants and sponsored programs, and partnerships with community colleges and local high schools.
In 2012-13, he was presider of the SUNY Chief Academic Officers organization. Previously, Nader was the Dean of Liberal Arts and Sciences at SUNY Delhi, where he oversaw the introduction of new degree programs in Environmental Studies and Criminal Justice and led the creation of the College’s first general education plan. From 2006 to 2010, Nader was Mayor of the City of Oneonta where he worked to successfully revitalize a long dormant downtown property and guided the creation of a veteran’s memorial walkway. He has also served a dozen years as an Otsego County legislator and as chair of the Opportunities for Otsego Board. Nader holds a B.A. in Politics from Ithaca College and an M.A. and a Ph.D. in Economics from the New School for Social Research.
Blacklaw previously, he served as Vice President for Instruction at Washtenaw Community College in Ann Arbor, Michigan, and before that, he served colleges in the SUNY system, first as Associate Dean for Curriculum and Instruction at Jefferson Community College in Watertown and later as Dean of Curriculum & Program Development at Monroe Community College in Rochester. Blacklaw has a B.A. in Communication from Olivet College, an M.A. in Telecommunication Arts from the University of Michigan, and a Ph.D. in Higher Education, Academic Administration from Capella University.
Bellinger previously held positions as the executive vice president/academic affairs and provost at Genesee Community College, Interim Provost at Massachusetts Bay Community College, CAO and COO at the Long Island Center of Empire State College, Founding Dean of the Graduate Program in Education at Abu Dhabi University, and Dean of Liberal Arts at American University in Dubai. She also has nearly 23 years of teaching experience including Professor of Social Sciences at Camp Doha, Kuwait (University of Maryland) where she received the Stanley Drazek Teaching Excellence Award in 2001; Associate Professor in the College of Education at the Public Authority for Applied Education and Training in Kuwait; and Associate Professor of Social Science at SUNY Alfred. Bellinger has a Ph.D. in the Sociology of Education and an Ed.M. in Counseling Psychology from SUNY Buffalo, as well as a B.S. in Personnel Management from Niagara University.
At OCC, McColgin is responsible for providing leadership and oversight of all educational services including academic departments and programs, faculty professional development, student academic support services, and instructional design and delivery. McColgin has served on several college-wide, SUNY-wide, and local community boards and committees and is an evaluator for the Middle States Commission on Higher Education. McColgin served as an officer in the United States Army Reserve as a member of the 376th Combat Support Hospital, obtaining the rank of Captain. She has worked as a registered nurse, teacher and coordinator of the Nursing Arts Laboratory at Cayuga Community College, after which she was named Provost of Cayuga Community College’s Fulton Campus in 2001. She holds an A.A.S. in Respiratory Therapy from Washtenaw Community College (Ann Arbor, MI); A.A.S. in Nursing from Cayuga Community College; B.S. from Syracuse University’s College of Nursing; and an M.S. in Nursing and Ph.D. in Higher Education from Syracuse University.
Chair of the Board of Trustees Isabella Crandall said, “I am very pleased with how the search is progressing, and would like to thank the Search Committee for their time and thorough work. I am optimistic that we will select a leader whose experience, talents and vision will serve our college and community well into the future.”
Herkimer College launched a nationwide search for candidates in September 2014. The new president will be the fourth president to serve in the nearly 50-year history of Herkimer College.