Open forums for the Riverland Community College presidential search started Monday morning with the first three of six candidates fielding questions from the community.

Dr. James Bruns, Dr. Charlotte Lee and Dr. Michael Bequette each had an hour to talk with area residents, school representatives and community leaders. They started with a brief history of their experience and then opened the floor for questions.

Corrine Johnson, superintendent of Austin public schools, attended all three forums. She asked questions about the Post Secondary Enrollment Option (PSEO) program, where high school students can take college classes, as well as collaborate between high school and college programs.

"The public schools are working very closely with the college and are very interested in who will be the next president at Riverland," she said.

Amy Wangen, director of marketing and public relations, said the forums went well.

People in attendance were given forms to fill out with room for comments as well as a suggestion whether or not the candidate's name should be forwarded to Chancellor James McCormick's office. Responses from attendees will be tallied and reviewed by the college search committee.

The candidates had a full day, with visits to the Albert Lea and Owatonna campuses as well as going through their formal interviews.

"Ultimately it will be up to the search committee to decide about what and how many names to forward to the Chancellor's office," Wangen said.

Between 20 and 25 people attended each forum. According to Wangen, there were very few students at the forums, although there are students on the school's search committee.

Dr. Dolores Cross, whose forum was scheduled for Wednesday from 11:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m., announced she was withdrawing from the running. She will no longer be interviewing for the position.

Matt Merritt can be reached at 434-2214 or by e-mail at :mailto:matt.merritt@austindailyherald.com