President Gibralter: Wells College is the Right Opportunity  

On Feb. 11, 2015, Frostburg State University President Jonathan Gibralter announced that he will leave FSU to become the 19th president of Wells College in New York.

Despite repeatedly being named in various university presidential searches around the country, Gibralter asserted in an interview that “this isn’t about leaving Frostburg.”

“I’ve been highly sought out for the past five years for other presidencies, and I wasn’t going to leave Frostburg at the wrong time,” said Gibralter. “I don’t consider it leaving Frostburg. I consider it going to Wells College. It had to be the right place. It had to be the right fit. It had to be the right opportunity.”

In the past, Gibralter contended for other jobs as university president, including Florida Atlantic University in 2010, University of Massachusetts Dartmouth in 2012, and Northern Kentucky University, also in 2012. According to an FSU press release, Gibralter withdrew from the presidential searches at the University of Massachusetts Dartmouth and Northern Kentucky University.

“While I was honored to be nominated for these positions, I just feel in my heart that this would not be a good time to leave Frostburg State University,” stated Gibralter in the press release. “We are in the midst of implementing our new strategic plan, and we’re just beginning a market research study and branding process. There’s a lot yet to be accomplished here, and I don’t want to disrupt this University,” Gibralter said.

More recently, Gibralter was a finalist for the Hood College presidency. Andrea Chapdelaine, provost of Albright College, was eventually selected as Hood College President.

The Wells College Presidency happens to be the “right opportunity” for Gibralter because it will take him closer to Syracuse, New York, where his family resides. Syracuse is just 50 miles away from Cayuga Lake, where Gibralter will live in the university presidential residence.

“I have a new grandson, and this gets me an opportunity to see my grandson grow up, and for him to come visit grandpa at Cayuga Lake,” Gibralter said.

Gibralter also explained how he was selected as the next president of Wells College, stating, “I didn’t formally apply. I was nominated for the job and sought out for the search process, and then became an active candidate several months ago.” He added that the two-part interview process took place over the past four weeks. “It’s a really fine, prestigious liberal arts college that has a long history, so I consider it a great professional opportunity,” he said.

Wells College is drastically smaller than FSU, only enrolling about 600 students, or 12 percent of the FSU student population, but Gibralter emphasized that the size of the school is not important to him. “It doesn’t matter the size of the institution. It matters to me that students are always at the center of what we do,” he said.

Gibralter’s departure comes in the midst of state budget cuts that caused FSU to make $1.25 million in cuts in the 2015 fiscal year alone. He says these budget cuts are the biggest challenge he’s faced in his tenure at FSU and explained that the university may face more cuts in the next fiscal year.

Despite the concerns about the budget constraints, Gibralter confirmed that the budget will allow for an interim-president and a full-time president to be hired through the Board of Regents, which is unaffected by the current institutional budget freeze at FSU.

By July 1, Chancellor Kirwan will appoint an interim-president to serve until a long-term president can be found. Usually, the interim-president position is filled by the provost of a university, according to Gibralter, who said that there probably won’t be a national search for the interim-president.

The last interim-president was former provost and current Political Science Professor Dr. Stephen Simpson, who served during the transition between the Gira and Gibralter administrations.

Dr. William Childs is the current provost of FSU, though he has only been the full-time provost since Spring 2014. He was named interim-provost in Fall 2013, only to be given the full-time position a semester later.

Dr. Thomas Bowling, who was named vice-president of students and educational services in early 2007, is another potential candidate for interim-president.

Staff changes often come with changes in leadership, but Gibralter indicated FSU’s executive staff will likely remain intact. Gibralter said that, at the present time, no staff members from FSU will follow him to Wells College.

Shortly after Gibralter was named FSU President in 2006, he hired Stephen Spahr as chief of staff and vice-president of university advancement. Spahr and Gibralter worked together previously at Farmingdale State University in New York. Gibralter was president of Farmingdale State University from 2001-2006, and Spahr served as vice chair of the Farmingdale State University of New York’s College Council.

Michael Cosselman, Gibralter’s stepson, will remain in the mass communication department as a general associate. “He’s somebody who they really value, and he’s doing a great job for them. He loves the students. I don’t perceive that he’s going to be leaving.”

While Gibralter will be departing on June 30, he will continue working to improve the university. “I’m really going to spend the vast majority of my time right here, and I will spend a few days in New York,” he said. “I’m fully committed to Frostburg State and I’m going to be an actively engaged president right up until the last day that I’m here on June 30,” he stated.

As Gibralter leads the university through the upcoming legislative session, he doesn’t feel his coming departure will inhibit his ability to advocate for Frostburg’s interests.

“I have a lot of respect gained through the General Assembly, and with the Chancellor and with all the Vice Chancellors in Maryland,” he said. He added that he does not believe that his leaving is going to, in any way, negatively impact Frostburg.”

During the legislative session, Gibralter plans to help minimize tuition increases, sustain the operating budget, minimize budget cuts, and ensure that the police headquarters will remain in the Governor’s budget to begin construction in June.

He also hopes to obtain funding to construct a new education and health sciences building. The planning and design for this project is in the Governor’s budget for 2019, but the building has not received funding for construction.

As Gibralter evaluated his priorities for the remainder of his tenure, he also looked back at his successes.

“I feel like we have accomplished more in the last nine years than had been accomplished in decades,” Gibralter said, reflecting on his accomplishments as president. Among these accomplishments are increasing retention, adding new academic programs, bringing new buildings to campus, and renovating residence halls.

As much as Gibralter focused on improving the campus, he strongly valued having a relationship with the students. “The high point has been getting to know the students. I’ve met some incredibly remarkable young people,” he said.

Saying that “it really does take a village,” Gibralter praised the faculty and staff of FSU, as well as the local community. “There is so much more that can be gained from working with really good people. I think that the team effort we put forward here has made this a better place.”

“I can’t remember a single low point,” Gibralter said. “I loved every minute of my time here. I feel good about what we accomplished.”

As President Gibralter’s time at FSU comes to a close, students, faculty, and staff continue to look ahead to the future. Through new administrations and presidents, hopefully Frostburg will continue to grow and develop under leadership akin to that of Jonathan Gibralter.

Featured picture belongs to Frostburg State University.