BCCC names ex-Howard dean interim president

The Baltimore City Community College board of trustees has named James H. Johnson, a former civil engineering professor and dean at Howard University, as its interim president for the next several months while a search is conducted for a permanent replacement. “Dr. Johnson is a nationally recognized leader with an exceptional career in higher education,” Kurt L. Schmoke, chair of the board of trustees, said in a statement. “His experience as a proven leader, impeccable track record and commitment to students will be a great service.” Gordon F. May, who has served as president for four years, is retiring on June 30. The board voted on Johnson’s appointment at its meeting on Wednesday. It expects to name a new president by Sept. 30, when Johnson’s contract would expire. Johnson, 71, was recently a visiting professor at Morgan State University in the department of civil engineering. A graduate of Howard University, he returned to the school as a professor of civil engineering and the dean of the College of Engineering, Architecture and Computer Sciences. He went on to direct a center for environmental research at the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. Johnson also served as the chair of the board of trustees for Anne Arundel Community College and head of the Maryland Association of Community Colleges. they say snatched a 4-year-old from outside his family’s Essex home last week before he was freed by the child’s neighbors. Laronica S. Gorham, 30, of Southeast Washington, D.C., has been charged with kidnapping and is being held without bail. The 4-year-old and his mother did not know the woman before the incident, police have said. Baltimore County police said Gorham scooped the child up in a “bear hug” while he was riding a scooter at 8 p.m. Friday and walked away with him while his mother was fetching a toy from the garage. When the boy’s mother heard his scooter hit the ground outside their home in the 1600 block of Renaissance Drive, she began searching for her son, police said. She and her neighbors found a woman several blocks away on the 100 block of Back River Neck Road still holding the boy, police said. The woman refused to give the child back, and the neighbors struggled to get her to return the child, according to police. The 4year-old suffered minor injuries, but the group was eventually able to return him to his mother.