PHSC Foundation Seeks Answers Amid Presidential Uncertainty

DADE CITY – On May 12, PHSC held a special meeting of the college’s foundation amid the uncertainty surrounding the resignation of former president Dr. Jesse Pisors. At the gathering, updates were provided to the foundation’s members on the candidate search, with other issues being taken care of as well.

With confusion surrounding the college’s presidency and the factors leading to it, the institutional leaders are being asked for clarification. When it comes to the solicitation of donations, large looming questions can understandably damage the chances of procuring a potential purse.

PHSC District Board of Trustees Vice Chairwoman Nicole Newlon was able to provide a brief answer on Monday. She was not able to discuss Dr. Pisors’ resignation besides stating that his resignation did not fall under the college’s chain of command bylaws, but she did note that acting PHSC President Andrea Brvenik had successfully reached out to the presidential hopefuls.

Of the three potential candidates that the college may tab as their interim leader, two have expressed interest following Brvenik’s contact. As detailed in prior coverage, the three hopefuls were the finalists of the prior presidential search that had ultimately named Dr. Pisors as Dr. Timothy Beard’s successor.

The trio of other finalists included Gilbert L. Evans Jr., J.D., Ph.D., Eric Hall, Ed.D., and Saul Reyes, Ed.D. Unfortunately, Newlon did not specify which of the three had responded favorably to Brvenik’s inquiries, but we will not have to wait long to find out.

The two unspecified hopefuls are set to attend the college’s regular District Board of Trustees meeting on May 20. There, the PHSC community will learn whether one of these two or Brevnik will become the school’s interim president.

On Tuesday, those individuals will have the opportunity to speak with the trustees who were not on the board during the last hiring cycle. They will be interviewed and the board will “presumably” discuss the interim presidency at that time, Newlon added.

So, how did this come about? Multiple foundation members even echoed sentiments akin to member Andy Taylor: “I don’t understand what happened.” With Dr. Pisors’ unexpected resignation amid enrollment retention confusion, it was announced at the foundation meeting that the school is set to launch an audit of the retention rates.

With Brvenik’s recent ascension to the role of active president, he can not serve as General Counsel of the college as well. As a result, a motion was made to name attorney Brian Koji to the position until a new president is named.

When discussing what may have led to lower student retention, PHSC Student Representative Krista Knowles noted that the school’s relatively new “Banner” registration system has “purged” many students from their course schedules. PHSC Trustee Dr. Daniel Powell explained, however, that students need to be in good standing and with no debt by the time classes begin to avoid this purging.

Another foundation member wondered if Dr. Pisors could have materially impacted the retention rates at all during his mere year-plus tenure.

In the wake of the president’s resignation, Jessica White, Associate Dean of Retention and Student Life, has also been let go as of Monday morning. Knowles added that White was “very important to student retention” and “she embodied the core value of community.”
Dr. Kathleen Hughes, who has worked for PHSC for over two decades, now fears retribution in the form of losing her job, considering White’s firing after speaking out at the May 6 DBOT meeting.

Beyond that, the long-time educator also no longer feels comfortable having her son attending an institution “where there’s so many questions.” If they wish to prevent this miasma from spreading, PHSC will likely want to clear the air in their upcoming DBOT meeting on May 20.