Back in the summer of 2010 Barbara Woodlee announced that she wanted to retire from her job as president of Maine’s Kennebec Valley Community College. This made sense, as Woodlee, who was then 63, had been at the institution for more than 30 years. And so the college set out to find a successor. It didn’t work out so well.
According to an article by Beth Staples in the Kennebec Journal:
After two national searches for a successor didn’t yield a viable candidate, Woodlee agreed to stay on the job.
And it’s not as if the 65-year-old has been biding her time. Woodlee, who has been with KVCC 36 years, starts her work days around 5 a.m. reading and responding to email — she said she does her best writing in the early morning.
Apparently two national searches didn’t yield anyone, no “viable candidate,” Woodlee apparently explained.
How hard is it to find someone to take this job?
Well part of the problem might be the salary. According to the Staples article, Woodlee earns $122,403 a year. That’s more than $40,000 less than the average community college president.
It’s apparently difficult to get someone to take on running the school for such poor compensation.
