Interim president not just a ‘caretaker.’

By Ashley Wolfe

“I get a very warm feeling about this school, I love it,” says RVCC’s interim President Richard Schaub
Schaub, who took over the position Jan. 1 following the departure of Dr. G. Jeremiah Ryan, will hold the job until a permanent replacement for Ryan is hired.

While he is not a candidate for the permanent position, Schaub says to be merely a “caretaker its not his style.”

Schaub has many ideas to help the school, such as a remediation program to bring students up to par academically. Some of the students that come here are just not ready.

“We're going to have to let high school students know what is going to be expected of them when they get here, so that nothing is a surprise to them,” Schaub said. “Give them an opportunity to enhance their skills before they get to the college level.”

Another field that Schaub would like to see improve on campus is the athletic programs. He would like to see more teams, as in basketball, baseball, soccer, softball and what ever may come into play. “I think that a good athletic program enhances the student experience,” he observed.

Also, Schaub would like to begin planning for a student center on the Raritan Valley campus, “so that there is somewhere the students could gather and share their experiences. This is not something that will happen overnight, but I would like the board to being to think about it.”

Schaub previously served as interim president, during the 1999-2000 school year. The first time the trustees approached Schaub to serve as interim president, in ’99, he declined. He thought he didn’t have the educational background needed to qualify him for the position. When the trustees came back to him this time, however, he readily accepted the job.

“With having such a great experience the first time I didn’t hesitate,” said Schaub.

Happy to be back to work again, Schaub is busy with meetings of every sort, and is doing everything he can to keep our college running as smoothly as possible.

Schaub is a member on the Board of Directors of the Princeton Insurance Co. He also is the former chairman of the Board of the Hunterdon Hospice and also served on the Board of Trustees of Hunterdon Medical Center and Somerset Medical Center.

The search committee has two potential candidates for the permanent position but has reopened the search to find a couple of more candidates to present to the board. Some of the qualifications that a president should have, according to Schaub, are a record of success in prior activities, good people skills, the ability to manage people, and the ability to instill confidence in themselves and among their fellow employees. “All employees, no matter what type of job they may have, deserve to be treated with the same dignity and respect. But most of all, a good president should be a motivation among his fellow employees.”

As the interim president, Richard Schaub is doing his best to meet all these qualities to run this college.