Pacific Oaks College & Children's School Opens Search for New President

Board of Trustees Names past Chair Michael Horowitz as Interim President While National Search Progresses

PASADENA, Calif., Aug. 23, 2011 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Dorothy Farris, chair of the Board of Trustees, announces the commencement of a national search to find the next leader of one of Pasadena's most distinguished and treasured institutions: Pacific Oaks College & Children's School. To serve as interim president throughout the transition, the board appointed Dr. Michael Horowitz, a 25-year veteran of higher education and a past Pacific Oaks board chair. Horowitz will carry on the momentum previously led by Dr. Tamara Rozhon who leaves PO this month to take a leadership position at another higher education institution.

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The search will be supported by Summit Search Solutions, Inc., an executive search firm that specializes in higher education. The Board of Trustees will also turn to the community to collect feedback this academic year through a board-appointed committee to include representation from students, alumni, faculty, staff, and parents.

"We have an opportunity through this search to make an even stronger bond between PO's constituencies and its future," said Farris who was elected chair of the PO board in May. "The more input we collect, the more informed and reflective the board's decision will be."

According to Farris, the board is looking to name a new president for the 66-year-old institution this academic year. In the meantime, its Executive Committee looked within to identify a transitional leader to help the college sustain its momentum for what is shaping to be among its largest incoming class in years.

"Pacific Oaks honors the work of Dr. Rozhon and her time with us," said Farris. "When considering an interim leader, it was clear that we had the right match with Michael Horowitz. He is a friend of PO, he serves on our board, and brings to us a decade of experience as a college president."

Added Horowitz: "I'm honored for the opportunity to support the college and children's school in this distinguished capacity. I've spent a career working with students, alumni, parents faculty, and staff and find those within the PO community to be among the most committed and engaged I have ever encountered."

Pacific Oaks is the second college president post held by Horowitz. He became the leader of The Chicago School of Professional Psychology (TCSPP) in 2000 when it was a single-program, single-campus institution with 215 students. Today, its enrollment exceeds 3,500 and is the largest nonprofit school of its kind in the nation. He was named the school's first president emeritus in 2010. During his last year as TCSPP president in 2009, Horowitz founded TCS Education System, a nonprofit network of colleges and children's schools backed by a shared model of education that prepares socially responsible, culturally competent professionals in applied fields such as psychology and behavioral sciences, law, education, human development, and family studies. Pacific Oaks joined the System in June 2010.

About Pacific Oaks College & Children's School

Pacific Oaks College and the Children's School have played a crucial role in the development of early childhood education in the United States for more a half century. Founded in 1959 by a small group of Quaker families, Pacific Oaks College is dedicated to the fundamental Quaker principles of inclusion, social justice, and the valuing of every human being. The College's faculty has developed innovative curriculum and tools that are widely used in early childhood and teacher training programs—both in the U.S. and throughout the world. Pacific Oaks is well-known for its leadership in a learning-through-play curriculum, and for the ground-breaking anti-bias curriculum that has been implemented in schools throughout the country and is often required reading in early childhood teacher training courses.

An accredited nonprofit institution, Pacific Oaks College offers bachelor's, master's, and certificate programs in early childhood education, human development, counseling, and teaching credentialing.

Founded in 1945, the Children's School is widely recognized today as one of the finest preschools in the nation.

For more information, see www.pacificoaks.edu.

CONTACT:
Matthew Nehmer
(312) 329-6672
[email protected]

SOURCE Pacific Oaks College and Children's School