Jan. 09--The College of DuPage paid a former TV journalist $2,500 -- about $30 per minute -- to moderate two recent public forums held to gather input on the school's next president, records show.
Anne Kavanagh, an award-winning reporter who started a media consulting company after leaving WFLD-Channel 32 several years ago, emceed the two December meetings in which district residents, faculty and students were invited to offer opinions on selecting a new leader for the state's largest community college -- an institution plagued by allegations of questionable spending and ethical violations.
Both forums were held Dec. 14 at the Glen Ellyn campus and some officials were concerned the events could get contentious. Some of the 17 members of the presidential search committee, chaired by former state House Speaker Lee Daniels, attended the meetings.
The afternoon session lasted 46 minutes. The evening meeting took just 37, according to videos of the forums.
Neither led to controversy.
At the start of both sessions, Kavanagh set the ground rules, which included limiting remarks to three minutes and focusing on the future. She then spent the rest of the time calling speakers to the microphone.
Records show Kavanagh's deal came at the request of consultant Bill Hay, whose Chicago-based firm is leading the presidential search.
The college's financial office was informed of Kavanagh's participation -- and asked to process her contract -- by communications consultant Chris Robling, an ally of former board of trustees Chairwoman Katharine Hamilton who had been working as a special assistant to the interim president. He left the position, for which he donated his salary to the school's foundation, after Hamilton's resignation last month.
Robling, who is also a former journalist, said he recommended Kavanagh for the job because he wanted someone who could keep the crowd focused.
"It was a pleasure to recommend Anne Kavanagh, who is one of the best people at what she does between Maine and California," Robling said. "Bill made the decision and he made a great decision."
Kavanagh's contract -- to host the two forums and do background research -- called for all communications between her company and the college to remain confidential unless it became the subject of a Freedom of Information Act request.
"They wanted someone who understood the issues and would do the research," Kavanagh said. "It was really important to them that it went well."
Under school policy, the board did not need to approve the expense because it was less than $15,000.
