Vice provost Catherine Riordan a finalist at Western Washington
Another high-ranking member of Central Michigan University's administration may be lured away to a post at another school.
Catherine Riordan, vice provost of academic affairs, is one of three finalists for the provost opening at Western Washington University.
Riordan, who has been at CMU since 2000, was one of more than 170 applicants for the position, said Craig Dunn, chairman of the search committee at Western Washington.
Riordan's candidacy comes just three weeks after she was named a finalist for the provost opening at Columbus State University, a post for which she was not selected.
The other two WWU finalists are Michael Zimmerman, dean of the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences at Butler University, and Gerard Voland, dean of the College of Engineering, Technology and Computer Science at Indiana University-Purdue University Fort Wayne.
Riordan will visit WWU on April 1 and 2. During her visit, she will meet with students and faculty, tour the campus and participate in open forums, she said.
"I will give a couple presentations about my background," she said.
According to their Web site, fall 2008 enrollment at WWU was 13,777 full- and part-time students, with 735 faculty members.
The school, located in Bellingham, Wash., is NCAA Division II. Their 2009 state operating budget is $127,795,197.
"The university has a fabulous reputation, especially for undergraduate education," Riordan said. "They have a very nice downtown development which is a cooperation between the university and the community."
She said she was nominated for the position four times. Dunn said her experience at the vice provost level makes her an attractive candidate.
"Often, applicants are deans who are looking to take the next step in their careers," Dunn said. "There aren't very many that have experience as interim provost or associate provost."
Western Washington also has a progressive, environmentally-focused research program among faculty, Riordan said.
"Sustainability is very much a part of the research they are doing," she said.
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