In the Times-Union: New FSCJ president vows honesty and transparency

(Reported in The Jan. 17 Florida Times-Union as "A New Beginning for FSCJ." Read the online story by clicking here. Subscription or membership may be required.)

Bioteau said she never knew or talked to the man she officially replaced Monday, former FSCJ president Steve Wallace, who left the college weeks after issues surfaced with financial aid and his spending habits. Bioteau takes over a college trying to regain the trust of businesses, potential students and school district leaders after news surfaced that financial-aid officers wrongfully awarded Pell grants to more than 1,300 students in 2012.

On her third day on the job, Bioteau said she wanted to meet with journalists because their work plays a role in rebuilding the public’s perception of FSCJ. When asked how she plans to repair the college’s image, Bioteau indicated that her behavior when interacting with people outside the college will account for most of the work. Bioteau also promised to fix whatever problems may linger from the college’s financial-aid troubles.

Bioteau said it will take at least two years for FSCJ to regain the public’s trust. For now, she is focusing on what the college with a $140 million budget needs to grow. Bioteau said she has started looking at all academic programs, “making sure all those programs are still pertinent.” She hinted that if the college had programs that don’t have steady enrollment, graduates and job placement, then those disciplines could be on the chopping block.

Bioteau has much more on her plate this year: negotiating faculty salaries, filling more than 50 open positions and choosing a new computerized student-management system.

Bioteau said finding a replacement for the Orion system is the first priority.

Bioteau said the college will not be able to bring faculty salaries to a level comparable to nearby state colleges all at once. The average FSCJ professor earns $48,000 a year, compared with $51,000 at St. Johns River State College and $56,000 at Daytona State College, according to a 2013 salary review from the National Education Association. She said she plans to introduce a three-year incremental plan that will solve the issue.

FSCJ’s new president has met with government and business leaders since she was selected in October. Randy Hanna, the state college system chancellor, and Jerry Mallot, executive vice president of JAX Chamber, have met Bioteau.

Mallot said he was impressed with Bioteau because she didn’t need a few months to understand how the college can help economic development in the region. Mallot said Bioteau came in with “a partnering attitude” and there’s a bonus that she’s a “very nice and wonderful person.”

Bioteau, who was born in New Hampshire, said she sees FSCJ as a bridge — a bridge from a school district to a university and a bridge from people looking for work to businesses who need skilled labor. In one year, Bioteau said, she would like to see the college’s graduation rate increase from the low-30-percent range it has averaged since becoming a four-year college in 2008.

Hanna, the chancellor, said the FSCJ board unanimously selecting Bioteau means they have faith in her ability.

“With her leadership and commitment to transparency and accountability, I am confident she will be an outstanding president,” Hanna said.

Times-Union Reporter Khristopher J. Brooks: (904) 359-4104. Copyright The Florida Times-Union.