Copyright The Philadelphia Inquirer
Alycia Marshall, who has been serving as interim president of Community College of Philadelphia since April, was unanimously endorsed for the permanent role Tuesday. The board of trustees, at an 8 a.m. meeting, approved making an offer of employment to Marshall, who had served as provost and vice president for academic and student success at CCP for nearly three years before stepping into the interim role. Marshall was among four finalists for the job. “Congratulations,” Board Chair Harold T. Epps said to Marshall during the Zoom meeting, which lasted about 10 minutes. “You have earned it through a very tough and challenging process. … We look forward to working with you.” » READ MORE: Community College of Philadelphia is poised to select its next president Tuesday Epps cited Marshall’s “stellar work” through the interim period as a factor in the board’s decision and said she had “the full confidence” of the board. “I’m a little bit emotional,” Marshall said at the meeting. “I’m very excited. I’m honored. I’m deeply humbled, pleased, ecstatic, and looking forward to the road ahead and the journey ahead. “I am fully committed to this institution, to our students, most importantly, and to the college community.” Epps said contract negotiations with Marshall would begin immediately. No terms or salary of her employment were released. Marshall will follow former CCP President Donald Guy Generals, who led the college for 11 years and was forced out of the job in April and placed on paid administrative leave through the end of his contract. When she was named as interim, Epps cited her “academic and organizational leadership, along with her extensive expertise in STEM, her focus on mentoring and serving underrepresented student populations.” » READ MORE: Community College of Philadelphia announces four finalists for president, including its current interim leader Marshall, 51, received her bachelor’s in mathematics from the University of Maryland Baltimore County, her master’s in teaching from Bowie State University and her doctorate in mathematics education from the University of Maryland. A native of Maryland, she started her career as an adjunct professor at Anne Arundel Community College in Maryland, near Annapolis, and later became a full tenured professor and chair of the mathematics department. » READ MORE: CCP board appoints provost as interim leader after ousting president She was promoted to associate vice president there and founded the African American Leadership Institute and spent a total of nearly 23 years at the Maryland community college. She’s also a rising presidents fellow with the Aspen Foundation, a non-profit aimed at creating thought leaders in their fields to address critical challenges. » READ MORE: CCP board removes president, voting not to renew contract and placing him on immediate paid leave At a campus interview session for the job, Marshall said she would lead both internally and externally, focusing on faculty and staff satisfaction as well as building relationships with funders and donors. She said she has already met more than 20 City Council members and state legislators. Marshall acknowledged that an employee satisfaction survey she commissioned when she became interim president showed low morale and promised to address it, “through insuring transparency and frequent communication.” The results of that survey haven’t been publicly released. Marshall said that over the last six months she learned to be comfortable not knowing what will happen next. After a board meeting earlier this month, a consultant who is the liaison to the presidential search committee said on a still-active microphone that Marshall had not been well-received on campus. Marshall said at the interview session that she did not agree with that and that she has developed relationships with people across the college. “If you have worked directly with me, you will know I am here for the students and I am here to support faculty and staff,” she said. She also addressed free SEPTA passes for students, which were part of the last contract negotiations with the faculty and staff union. While the college couldn’t offer the benefit to all students — it would cost about $2 million — a pilot will begin in the spring at the college’s West Philadelphia site, she said during a finalist interview session. Marshall, who maintains a residence in Maryland, said she would move to the city full-time if selected for the job.
