PHSC Board of Trustees Holds Vote Following President’s Resignation

NEW PORT RICHEY – Pasco-Hernando State College’s District Board of Trustees (DBOT) met for a Special Meeting on Tuesday to decide upon a plan of action regarding the opening of the president’s position.

This follows Dr. Jesse Pisors’ sudden resignation from the role on Thursday amid concerns of declining student retention numbers. His premature exit has resulted in much confusion among students and staff, considering he had only just assumed the office in February of 2024.

With a goal of stabilizing the situation and working towards the naming of a new president, the board unanimously agreed upon the following on Tuesday evening:

• Acting President Andrea Brvenik will make contact with the three interim candidates
• The contacts of the interested hopefuls will be distributed to the board by Mr. Brvenik
• Board members will reach out to candidates within two weeks of Tuesday’s meeting
• The DBOT will convene for its regular trustee meeting on May 20, 2025
• Any candidates who express interest will be invited to join the meeting in late May
• Anyone named to the role will have the opportunity to parlay it into a permanent position
• Mr. Brvenik will remain acting president until an interim is named

When the search for PHSC’s fifth president began over two years ago, third-party search firm Myers McRae Executive Search was tasked with reviewing “over 50 of the most qualified candidates,” stated a press release from PHSC.

Current PHSC Trustees John Mitten and John Allocco were on the search committee that eventually narrowed the list to a final four of Dr. Pisors, Gilbert L. Evans Jr., J.D., Ph.D., Eric Hall, Ed.D., and Saul Reyes, Ed.D. The Sun delved into their announcements in late 2023.

Considering the extensive vetting process that the remaining three already underwent, the board’s first priority will be to reach out to gauge their potential interest. Mitten, who chaired the search committee, noted he could reach out to Myers McRae for certain information regarding the search in case it is not readily available.

Considering the sudden and confusing nature of the previous president’s departure, Trustee Gino Collura raised the idea of an audit to increase transparency and ameliorate concerns surrounding the entire process. This drew thunderous applause from the audience of students and faculty members at the meeting.

Following the board’s vote, several citizens came forward to share their views on the matter. A common theme emerged.

Carmine Bell, a full-time employee of PHSC for 24 years, noted that there have been several periods of “enrollment volatility,” and she defended Dr. Pisors’ record in relation to apparent declining enrollment retention rates across 2024.

She argued that despite a retention decline of 44 percent from spring 2024 to fall 2024, Dr. Pisors could not be faulted for this due to his first full term not taking place until fall of that year. Bell and others cited new difficult institutional technologies, as well as hurricanes, as possible factors to point to instead.

Stephanie Matlick cited Dr. Pisors’ positive first review from the board in July of 2024 and multiple speakers recounted how friendly and caring he acted towards students during his short tenure.

“He was a breath of fresh air to see the president consistently on all campuses and openly talk with various students about their semester and goals for the past year,” said Matlick. “It was appreciated, it was kind, and it had worked.”

Others floated the idea of bringing Dr. Pisors back for another year to see if he could turn things around, or to even recall former President Timothy Beard, who had received grace early on in his tenure when he faced such concerns.

Ultimately, as Trustee Kirk Wilson added in his final remarks, “Communication appears to be so much of the problem here.” The board members appreciated the passion the PHSC community has brought to the issue and Trustee Allocco asked that the public “give us an opportunity” to see this through.