Harford Community College's newest trustees are coming on board just in time to select a new college president.
Ralph H. Jordan Jr. of Abingdon and Dr. Lehman W. Spry Jr. of Havre de Grace received confirmation last week of their appointments by Gov. William Donald Schaefer to the college's board of trustees. They were sworn in Thursday at the Harford County Courthouse.
Mr. Jordan and Dr. Spry will participate in the interviews of four candidates vying for the presidential post vacated by former HCC president Richard J. Pappas in August. The trustees are expected to name a successor in January.
"I'm delighted to be a part of it," said Mr. Jordan, 58, a former HCC administrator who retired in 1988.
Mr. Jordan is a part-time marketing coordinator for the Susquehanna Region Private Industry Council and has his own advertising and graphic design business.
The New Jersey native started his teaching career in Harford County as an art teacher at Bel Air High School in 1958. He joined the college staff in 1968 and held several positions there, including interim president from 1976 to 1977.
Dr. Spry, a Havre de Grace dentist, also brings to the board a solid knowledge of the community college. He has been involved with the college as a member of the HCC Foundation, the college's fund-raising arm, since 1957.
"The next step would be trustee," said the Cambridge native about his decision to seek a board seat.
Dr. Spry, 59, has lived and practiced dentistry in the county for 25 years and is a past member of the Harford County Council. He was elected to the first of two council terms in 1974, but was forced to resign in his second term after he pleaded guilty to income tax evasion.
"That's a part that's gone," Dr. Spry said when asked if he had any plans to run for office in the future. "This is a new direction."
Dr. Spry and Mr. Jordan join a nine-member college board and will serve five-year terms. They will attend their first board meeting Thursday.
"The college is moving in a progressive fashion," Dr. Spry said. "I would hope to expand and continue existing policies."
"I just have a soft spot for Harford Community College, having worked there 20 years," Mr. Jordan said. "I will bring, as a former employee, a perspective that might be a little different from the point of view of other board members. I can hit the ground running."
A change in Maryland law last year created two new positions on the college's board of trustees.
Mr. Jordan and Dr. Spry were two of 16 applicants for the jobs. The Harford County Permanent Nominating Committee pared the number to five.
The finalists' names were submitted to Mr. Schaefer in October. The other nominees were William J. Smith of Abingdon, Dr. Mary J. McMahon of Street and Kevin J. Mahoney of Bel Air.