Gloucester County College names interim president

Gloucester County College's board of trustees has named a college vice president the school's interim president.

Frederick Keating, GCC vice president of student services, was appointed in a unanimous vote Wednesday.

"I look forward to working closely with the faculty and staff to advance the college in these difficult financial times," Keating said in written statement. "Gloucester County College is an excellent educational institution, and I feel that together we can make the college one of the finest in the state of New Jersey."

A longtime education executive, Keating had served as superintendent of the Gloucester County Special Services School District and the Gloucester County Institute of Technology.

In a statement, board of trustees chairman Gene Concordia called Keating "the best person for the position at this critical time."

The college is building a university center; launching a new science, technology, engineering, and math program; and forging agreements and partnerships with four-year universities, Concordia noted.

Keating, he said, "is an integral player in the development of these proposals."

Keating is expected to serve in the post until a president is chosen.

The college's former president, Russell Davis, was charged with 11 counts of forgery in April, about two weeks after he resigned.

Ten of the charges are related to allegations that he signed the name of a college official responsible for authorizing submission of loan applications to the college pension fund. Davis did receive pension money allocated to him, according to a spokesman for the Prosecutor's Office.

The 11th count alleges that Davis signed the same name to seek a hardship application to withdraw money from his own pension account.

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