Maine community colleges name interim leader
Courtesy of Maine Community College System
Derek Langhauser
The Maine Community College System board of trustees has named its general counsel as the interim president, more than week after longtime leader John Fitzsimmons resigned.
The board announced Friday that Derek Langhauser, the system’s general counsel and a senior member of the its leadership team, will serve as its interim president. The board will launch a national search for a permanent replacement in March.
“We are extremely fortunate to have someone of Derek’s knowledge, talent and expertise guiding the system during this transition,” board Chairman Robert Clark said in a prepared statement. “Derek is widely regarded for his experience, judgment, insight and dedication to our colleges and the students we serve.”
In his role as general counsel, Langhauser has been responsible for the oversight of student, employee and corporate legal affairs, as well as emergency management, statutory and regulatory compliance and risk management. In addition, he served as the system’s acting director of human resources.
Fitzsimmons, who served as the system’s president for nearly 25 years, resigned in mid-January after Gov. Paul LePage made repeated calls for him to step down. LePage had criticized Fitzsimmons’ leadership over a “stagnant” community college system, saying the system failed to achieve complete credit transferability between Maine’s community colleges and public universities and also failed to continue the Bridge Year program for high school students. In response, Fitzsimmons said the system was continuing to work on both initiatives.
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