April or bust
So far this year, the search for a new associate vice president for institutional diversity has been right on schedule.
So it would be a shame for the AVP for institutional diversity search committee, University President Michael Rao and interim Provost Gary Shapiro, to drop the ball now.
Obviously we don't promote hasty decisions, but the quicker Maureen Eke's replacement is announced, the quicker he or she can get to work on an issue that has captivated many students since Michigan voters approved Proposal 2 in November.
Pamela Gates, chair of the search committee, said in a Feb. 21 story she expected to bring three top candidates to campus for open forums by mid- to late March.
Check. Not only did Gates make good on her time frame, but the committee also brought in two extra candidates.
The first - Jerome L. Reide - made it to campus on March 16, with the interview process wrapping up a week later after Patricia A. Spitzley's visit on Friday.
For the next phase, the search committee will meet to discuss the candidates' pros and cons before recommending one or more finalists for Rao and Shapiro's consideration.
Gates said in the same Feb. 21 story she expects this phase to conclude in April. Hopefully this doesn't mean the committee will take the entire month to decide.
Considering recent debacles in national searches for a new vice president and provost and associate vice president for off-campus programs, one would think the AVP for diversity committee is taking a more proactive approach to its recommendation process.
Gates said in an e-mail interview this week the committee met Monday morning to begin initial discussions. If preliminary meetings already have begun, it seems reasonable this phase shouldn't take longer than the first week of April.
Diversity has been a hot-button issue on this campus for months, and many students have said they felt slighted by the university for dragging its feet when it comes to promoting a diverse campus. Students are a university's No. 1 priority, right?
That's why it is very important the university be quick and efficient in naming the one person whose only job is to work with diversity.
Two weeks should be ample time for the committee to separate the better from the worse.
Once the recommendation(s) is made, the responsibility lies with Rao and Shapiro also to be quick and efficient.
Again, it seems reasonable the university's top two administrators would need no more than a week to choose the best candidate to lead CMU's diversity march for years to come.
Three weeks or so should be plenty of time for the entire process.
We've blasted the university for conducting those less-than-impressive searches for a new provost and AVP for off-campus programs.
But the slate is clean again, and CMU has a chance to atone for its past mistakes.
But hurry. Mid-April is coming fast.
