FRANKLIN—The four finalists vying to replace retiring Paul D. Camp Community College President Dr. Doug Boyce will be in town over the next couple of weeks, giving students, staff and community stakeholders a chance to weigh in on the selection process.

“The final decision is actually made by the chancellor of the Virginia Community College System, but he doesn’t make that decision in isolation,” Boyce said.

Earlier this month, the Ad-Hoc Presidential Certification Committee of the State Board for Community Colleges identified the finalists as Dr. Paul W. Conco of Bristol, Dr. Claudia Morris of Ahoskie, N.C., Dr. Cynthia S. Bambara of Warrenton and Dr. Don Pearl of Sterling, Ill.

Starting Monday, each of the four finalists will attend separate daylong interviews, which will include meetings with the college interview committee, the college’s Foundation Board and the local College Board.

The interviews will also include an open forum where the candidates will participate in a question-and-answer session with college employees, students and community members.

“I think it’s wonderful to have an open forum for community members,” said Dr. Patsy Joyner, vice president for institutional advancement at PDCCC.

Conco, who is vice president for financial and administrative services and a professor at Virginia Highlands Community College, will be interviewed Monday.

Morris, who served as vice president for planning and advancement of Roanoke-Chowan Community College in Ahoskie from 2002 to 2006, will be interviewed next Wednesday.

Pearl, who is academic vice president of Sauk Valley Community College in Dixon, Ill., will be interviewed March 29.

Bambara, who is vice president of student success and an associate professor at Lord Fairfax Community College and chief administrative officer of the Fauquier Campus and the Luray-Page County Center, will be interviewed on March 30.

Joyner said that all four are great candidates, but the task is to find the one who is best suited to PDCCC.

“Any one of them can do the job,” she said. “We’re anxious. We hope we get the best fit for Paul D. Camp.”

On each of the four interview dates, open forums are scheduled from 2:30 p.m. to 3:15 p.m. at the Workforce Development Center Technology Theater.

The local College Board, which consists of 13 members appointed by the governing bodies of the four localities PDCCC serves, will take the input it receives and meet with Dr. Glenn DuBois, chancellor of the Virginia Community College System.

DuBois will then appoint the new college president.

Boyce said he isn’t sure when that meeting will take place because of the chancellor’s busy schedule.

“I’m confident that it’ll be sometime in April,” said Boyce, who is retiring June 30.