First Finalist for CCC President Withdraws Application!!!??? Report by Robert A. Williams

Reliable Sources report that Dr. Scott Balog, first on the short list (list is in alphabetical order) for CCC President, has withdrawn his application. Dr. Balog was previously scheduled for an interview at CCC this coming Tuesday, January 23, 2018.

Dr. Balog, according to the CCC Press Release, currently serves as the Chief of Staff at Tallahassee Community College in Florida where he is involved in strategic decision making, managing the operating budget of the College, economic development and other responsibilities. My research indicates that in 2013, Tallahassee Community College was listed first in the nation in graduating students with A.A. degrees. TCC is also the top transfer school in the nation to both Florida State University and Florida A&M University. As of fall 2017, TCC reported 40,087 students.

Another independent article in the “HuffPost” Titled The Top Ten Community Colleges in America listed Tallahassee Community College as number 8 saying “Students at this community college in Florida’s capital make 22.8 percent more than their overall college costs their first year out of school. Plus, 54 percent of them (about 16 percent greater than the national average) graduate and transfer to a 4-year school.”

It seems that Dr. Balog may have had second thoughts about leaving Tallahassee Community College in Florida, stepping so far down to CCC, which is only 10% in size and full of scandals at so many levels.

My source speculates that the CCC BoTs may try to blame me for correctly writing up the goings on at CCC for all the world to see; which Dr. Balog may have come across that led to his decision to stay the heck away from CCC. I suspect that this speculation is probably correct as Google and Facebook have picked up our articles and our readership is about four time that of the Shelby Star.

Well, Anybody anywhere in the world with a reason to look up Cleveland Community College would have found our articles about the scandals at CCC. And Dr. Balog is obviously not a dummy. But, I remind everybody that I didn’t start the mess at CCC. The CCC BoTs did this all by themselves by not nipping the problems in the bud as they should have. Also, the scandals at CCC hit the news first from the James G. Martin Center for Academic Excellence in Raleigh and was picked up by a news source in Rutherford County before I wrote my first word about CCC. So, let the CCC BoTs blame me. If they had paid attention and taken my suggestions along the way, this whole mess would already be over by now.

So, Dr. Scott Balog is out of the running, which leaves the other five still in the race. My recommendation remains Dr. Jason Hurst as his credentials in workforce development best suits the overall needs of Cleveland County students at this point in time and not necessarily what the riff-raff at CCC are trying to shove down our throats. That being scamming state and private money to best suit CCC bureaucracy rather that what is the best interest of Cleveland County Students. And taxpayers.

I will also say what everybody already is thinking, what professional accomplishments can be shown for CCC Executive VP Shannon Kennedy that holds a candle to the other finalists. Nothing that I can see, unless you count being the sex fantasy of the former CCC President that resulted in him being run off. And many believe there are plenty of reasons she should be run off too. Reasons the CCC BoT and their phony Interim President seem to just keep on covering up instead to resolving in an appropriate manner.