Flathead Valley Community College Announces New Presidential Appointment Amidst Process Concerns
The selection of a new president at Flathead Valley Community College has sparked debate and concern over the transparency and inclusivity of the process. Despite these concerns, the board of trustees has advanced the appointment of Deborah Kish Stephan, currently leading the Brandon Campus of Hillsborough College in Florida. Her final appointment is contingent upon the review of her contract.
According to a spokesperson for the college and board of trustees, input was gathered from a wide range of stakeholders, including community members, staff, students, and faculty who opted to participate. Julie Brempelis, the spokesperson, stated in an email, “Hiring a president is one of the board’s most important responsibilities, and trustees considered a wide range of input in making this decision.”
Flathead Valley Community College, part of the Montana University System, is overseen by a locally elected board of trustees and reported an enrollment of 2,117 students last fall. The college’s long-term president, Jane Karas, announced her retirement effective at the end of 2026 after 25 years of service.
Board chairperson Callie Langohr noted in an email that the search for a new president adhered to a process established by trustees and ACCT Searches, the firm hired for national recruitment, resulting in four finalists.
However, the process has been criticized by Conrad Rauscher, vice president of the faculty union, who claimed that the appointment did not align with faculty survey rankings and failed to solicit sufficient feedback from various campus groups. Instead, a single QR code was provided for feedback submission, which left many feeling disenfranchised. The survey ranked Stephan as the third choice for faculty, with Andrew Fields, CEO of the University of Idaho Coeur d’Alene, as the preferred candidate.
Rauscher emphasized that the most significant frustration was the perceived lack of openness to feedback. He also expressed concern that the current president, Karas, had undue influence during the decision-making process, participating in one-on-one meetings with finalists and private discussions with the board, despite assurances that she was not involved in the search process design or leadership.
Rauscher also pointed out that an email update from Langohr misrepresented the board’s decision as unanimous. In reality, the board took a 4-3 vote to postpone contract approval for legal review, and a unanimous vote to appoint Stephan contingent on contract review, as confirmed by Brempelis to the Daily Montanan.
The proposed contract includes a salary of $250,000, with an annual $60,000 housing bonus and a $12,000 vehicle bonus, spanning 3.5 years with potential one-year rolling extensions. Housing in Flathead Valley is notably costly, with a median household income of $73,925, according to the U.S. Census Bureau.
Brempelis did not provide additional comments on the offered salary and bonuses or the specifics of the legal review. She stated that the board will review the terms, including compensation, in a forthcoming public meeting, and the finalized contract will be made public.
Langohr praised Stephan’s extensive experience in community college education, highlighting her achievements in workforce program development, learning environment improvements, resource acquisition, and student barrier reduction. “The board was impressed by her breadth of leadership experience and her emphasis on listening, collaboration, transparency, shared governance and student success,” Langohr remarked.
