A diverse group of 11 persons will help select Eastern
Michigan University's next president.
Tom Sidlik, chair of the EMU Board of Regents, made the
announcement at the Regents' Sept. 21 meeting.
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THE SEARCH BEGINS: Tom Sidlik (center),
chair of
the Eastern Michigan University Board
of Regents,
lets fellow regents, vice presidents
and a campus
crowd know of plans for EMU's next
presidential
search.
|
"Choosing the right president for this great university
is critical," Sidlik told a large crowd at the meeting. "The
Regents understand this and are committed to a thorough
and expeditious process. In order to make a decision quickly,
the search committee will be compact and composed of 11
members."
The presidential search committee will consist of one
faculty member, chosen by Faculty Council; one faculty
member, chosen by the AAUP; an emeritus faculty member,
chosen by the emeritus faculty; an administrator, chosen
by Don Loppnow, EMU's executive vice president; a student,
chosen by Student Government; an alumnus, chosen by the
EMU Alumni Association; a member of the EMU Foundation
Board of Trustees, chosen by that board; a member of the
public, chosen by the Regents; and three of the seven regents,
Sidlik said.
The search comes at a critical juncture at EMU, with its
last two permanent presidents mired in controversy. Former
president Samuel Kirkpatrick resigned under fire in 2004
after continued controversy over the construction of University
House, which had an eventual price tag of $6 million. John
Fallon, EMU's most recent president, was fired by the Regents
July 15 after he and the Board could not come to an agreement
how to handle his status after the release of Butzel-Long
and Department of Education reports related to the death
of former student Laura Dickinson.
"The leadership at the level of the president; there was
discontent with our last two presidents," said Faculty
Council President Russ Larsen. "You may not feel that way.
Each had their own virtues. But, there were problems."
"I think it's very important to find a candidate that
all of the involved groups feel good about," Larsen continued. "Unless
that happens, the person coming in will have two strikes
against them. This search is a very important search at
this critical time in history."
And while Sidlik stressed the committee would be compact
in order to move the search more quickly, there were others
who requested a seat at the table.
"We want to get the best candidate for our next president,
but we feel we should have representation at the table," said
Chris Bylone, president of the Graduate Student Senate,
who requested a graduate student be included on the search
committee.
In a prepared statement, Ken Rusiniak, an EMU professor
of psychology, told Regents that faculty were buoyed by
the appearance of Regents Sidlik and James Stapleton, as
well as Executive Vice President Don Loppnow, who serves
as EMU's interim leader, at their Sept. 4 faculty assembly.
He said this presidential search offers an opportunity
for the administration and faculty "to
build bridges."
"There is tremendous hope at EMU for a better future," Rusiniak
said. "Yet, there also is palpable reservation that we
are condemned to repeat the errors of the past. EMU cannot
afford a failed search."
