by Monty Tufnel
Freelance Writer

President Popovich left his press conference to catch a limo to his next job interview.

Dr. Leland Popovich, world renowned university and college change agent, and currently president of Smothers College, announced today that Ruth Fillmore would be his new employment representative. Prior to his presidency Popovich worked for five years with the firm Frost & Young, the nation’s oldest executive placement service. Fillmore, part of a new breed of individualistic, hard-nosed executive placement agents, is best known for representing Max Burly, currently in his tenth year as president of the struggling baseball franchise the Duluth Shipbuilders, and Hamilton K. Kuiper III, CEO of Gonzo Records.

In a brief media release Popovich thanked Frost & Young for the “dedicated passion to finding institutions that needed change,” but then went on to assert that Fillmore gave him the best opportunity to “find institutions that didn’t even know they needed change.”

Fillmore says she is “delighted to work with someone as vibrant and charming as Popovich.”

Popovich is in his second year at Smothers University and, since 2003, has been president of Hawlings Community College in South Carolina, Waylon Community College in Texas, Messenberg University in Ohio, Gork University in California, and Kaufmann and Kinison University in New York. Requests to discuss this announcement with Smothers’ Chairman of the Board Gregory Wibbert were denied.

Phillmore College announced the creation of a new Associate Chancellor for Systemic Change position, to be filled by Dr. Juanita Jakobson.

“There are lots of problems at the College that can only be solved through a comprehensive cultural change,” said Dr. Jakobson. The president is too busy to work on the systemic changes, so I’m going to have to do my part and write lots of reports about working together to build a team approach. You can expect to see my office light on late at night as I do my best work after most people leave campus.”

Prior to her appointment, Dr. Jakobson was known for her scholarship in the area of collaborative change management. She has written such articles as:

• “Getting Practical: Doing Collaborative Work without the Hassle of Meeting with Other People” for the Journal of College Leadership

• “Culture Change Fast: Using Posters and Brochures as a Quick Fix for Systemic Discord” for Corporate College Management magazine

Dr. Jakobson’s charge includes an immediate priority of composing catchy community-oriented sound bites the president can include in speeches and casual conversations to show a commitment to the communication of change.