William Toms, of Millstone, is the interim president of Brookdale Community College in Lincroft. The Brookdale Community College Board of Trustees believes it has found the perfect leader in William Toms.
Toms, 47, Millstone, is a consultant and president of The Toms Professional Group in Freehold. He retired as a major in the New Jersey State Police after a 25-year career. The college hired him in March to serve as interim president. The decision was largely based on the unique skill set Toms developed in leadership positions in investigations, intelligence, internal affairs, training and organizational development, according to Jacob “Josh” Elkes, interim chairman of the college’s Board of Trustees.
Toms, although an investigator for 14 years who did a lot of undercover work, said he is no stranger to the college environment.
Before earning a bachelor’s degree in criminal justice and public administration, a master’s degree in educational administration and supervision, and a doctor of education degree in leadership and human resource development fromGeorgeWashington University, he earned an associate of science degree from Middlesex County College. Working as an adjunct faculty member at Fairleigh Dickinson University for the past 11 years has also contributed to the segue into his role at Brookdale.
“Iwouldn’t have tackled it if I didn’t think I could handle it,” Toms said. “I knew it would be a challenge and I really welcomed it.”
Having once served on the Brookdale Criminal Justice Advisory Board, Toms was familiar with the college’s philosophy and quality of education and was impressed with students and staff before a member of the college’s board of trustees sought him out for the interim president position.
“Iwanted to help out and help move them along through the crisis,” Toms said. “I wanted to try to get them to be able to sustain the quality of education they have long been known for and develop it further and become more competitive.”
Elkes, the board’s interim chairman, said, that Toms “brings with him a culture of duty, discipline and credibility that is very much needed at this time.”
Elkes said Toms has an ability to implement fiscal safeguards and security measures that few other professionals have, noting his service as commandant of the State Police Academy and that he is a certified fraud examiner.
“The board feels he’s an exceptional leader,” Elkes said. “He is the right president for Brookdale at this particular time.”
Elkes introduced Toms to the board on March 10. In the search for a candidate, Elkes learned about Toms from a contact in law enforcement, he said. The president of Direct Title and Closing Agency in Freehold, Elkes has served as an adviser to the Newark FBI on mortgage fraud matters. The board, impressed with Toms’unique skill set, hired him to lead an open and transparent review of all college policies, procedures and controls, and to recommend changes to ensure Brookdale meets public education governing standards without compromising the quality of education. Toms receives a weekly salary of $2,885 with no additional health, pension or other benefits.
“He brings with him a culture of accountability, responsiveness, discipline and getting things done quickly, efficiently and respectfully,” Elkes said.
Brookdale has been the subject of public scrutiny since an audit of former president Peter Burnham’s office resulted in allegations of improper spending. The board put Burnham on administrative leave and took legal action against him in April, charging him with breach of contract and intentional fraud causing damage. Brookdale Chief Financial Officer George Fehr announced his retirement after the board cited him for failure to enforce established policies and placed him on unpaid leave.
The board also authorized its counsel, Wilentz, Goldman and Spitzer, to investigate possible legal action against Fehr and the college’s former auditor, Bowman and Co.
Board of Trustees Chairman Howard Birdsall and the board’s attorney, John M. Cantalupo also resigned. The Monmouth County Prosecutor’s Office launched its own investigation into the president’s office’s spending.
“The board is not a party to the investigation, but I can say that it is ongoing,” Elkes said. “The detective staff is on campus interviewing people. There are various areas of concern, including president department expenditures. We have given the prosecutor’s office a vast amount of data.”
With the departure of Burnham and Fehr and Margaret McMenamin, who served as executive vice president until taking a job as president of Union County College, Brookdale found itself with gaps in its management before hiring Toms, Elkes said.
“Dr. Toms has taken a destabilized management structure … and has been working with his cabinet, unions and staff for the board of trustees in order to make it functional again,” Elkes said.
In the last several weeks Toms has met with administrators, staff and student groups to discuss cost-saving measures that would not hinder the quality of education. He worked with the union to enable faculty members to take a promotion without adding costs to the college budget. He also recommended the hiring of Dr. Diana Phillips as executive vice president; her hiring is dependent upon board approval. Toms also is part of the search for a replacement president, according to Elkes. The college is currently soliciting executive search firms in this search, which is expected to take 12-18 months, Elkes said.
Toms said he has started reviewing many of the college’s finance and procurement processes.
“I looked at a number of vulnerable areas in terms of risk,” Toms said. “I’ve looked at the accreditation process and if we are engaged in following appropriate timelines.”
Toms said that with his cabinet and other leaders at Brookdale, he has also started developing a strategic plan for the college to follow for the next five years in conjunction. This work is in addition to overseeing the day-to-day operations of Brookdale. “The college board oversees me and the policies of the college, generally speaking,” Toms said. “The board authorizes the budget and authorizes contracts.”
This year’s budget totals $96 million. As a public college, Brookdale relies on funding from the state and county. The Monmouth County Board of Freeholders approved $21 million for this year’s budget on May 12. The county portion represents 22 percent of the budget and the state contributes 11 percent, Toms said.
“About 56 percent comes from tuition and student fees, and the remainder comes from alternative funding such as grants,” he said.
Toms recognized the shift away from government-subsidized schools to leaner schools and said that originally county colleges received one-third of its budget from the state, one-third from the county, and one-third from tuition.
“Tuition now makes up 56 percent,” he said. “We are really shifting to a point where tuition drives a lot of revenue.”
Toms wants to develop innovative programs to reduce tuition costs, such as shortening the duration of time students have to spend in programs, which would reduce the overall cost of a two- to four-year degree.
For the upcoming school year there will be no increase in tuition, Toms said.
The cost per credit at Brookdale is $118.50, according to information fromthe interim president’s office.
“Brookdale students get a quality education at a much lower cost than other New Jersey schools. The location is tremendous, and the number of faculty and number of learning assistants and support staff really ensure students success,” Toms said.
Brookdale is the leader in the Communiversity, an alliance of colleges that offers dual enrollment agreements leading to obtaining bachelor’s and master’s degrees locally, Toms said.
“The schools our students eventually transfer to say that Brookdale students are extremely well prepared,” Toms said.
Toms said all that has occurred as a result of the audit of the former president’s office has had “absolutely zero impact on the delivery of services in the classrooms or the quality education that students receive.”
“Our partners understand that there is absolutely no problem whatsoever with the integrity of our programs,” Toms said.
Toms said he will serve as interim president until the college hires a new president. He is not interested in taking the position, he said.
“I have certain personal, family and professional goals that I am looking to pursue,” he said. “It would be a five- to 10-year commitment and I am not willing to give [those goals] up.”
Toms and his wife, Mary Beth, have two children, Ashley, 23, and Trevor, 20. They have resided in Millstone Township for 21 years.