Barbara Bryan has taken over as Broward College’s interim president, succeeding Gregory Haile and becoming the school’s first female president. The new president was previously the CEO of Higher Education Consulting, as well as the campus president and provost of the college’s North Campus in Coconut Creek.
“I’ve spent the greater part of my career at the institution, and it is an honor for me to return in the capacity of acting president to serve among the dedicated and passionate faculty and staff in our mission to provide quality education and job training to our community,” Bryan said in a statement to CBS News.
The announcement came just a day after Henry Mack, a state education official, was designated interim president of the college. The Broward College Board of Trustees first chose Mack to succeed former president Haile, who resigned last month, after interviewing candidates.
Mack previously served as the Division of Florida Colleges’ senior chancellor at the Florida Department of Education. However, citing a “inability to come to terms” with Mack on a contract, the school stated that Bryan, a longtime former administrator, will serve as interim president.
The trustees of Broward College were looking for an interim president who was either a current or previous employee or a former trustee. The trustees settled on a contract with Bryan after failing to reach an agreement with Mack. Bryan’s deal is for six months and includes a $287,000 yearly base wage.
Mack had sought for $400,000, although the job posting suggested a compensation range of $250,000 to $350,000, according to trustee chair Alexis Yarbrough to The South Florida Sentinel. Yarbrough stated that he also sought a housing and transportation stipend.
“We made an offer of $287,500.” “We were willing to raise a small amount of money for travel reimbursement because he doesn’t live in Broward and there would be some commuting back and forth,” Yarbrough explained.
Because Mack lived in Tallahassee, Yarbrough stated that they were willing to pay an additional trip refund of up to $3,000 to the publication. The school also wanted the acting president’s contract to be six months long, but Mack wanted it to be longer.
Yarbrough emphasized that the college claimed that the job was temporary and that Mack removed his name from consideration after some “back and forth” regarding the limitations.
Bryan began her tenure as interim president on October 4.