Interviews for next CMU president begin in November
A total of 68 candidates submitted applications to succeed Michael Rao as university president.
This number increased from 43 after the first soft deadline of Oct. 1. The final deadline was Monday.
The Presidential Search Screening Committee met that day to begin a review of all submitted applications. The committee will select a small number of candidates to interview and present two to six semifinalists to the Board of Trustees, said presidential search screening committee chairwoman and Trustee Stephanie Comai.
The Board will then interview and select the next university president from that group of candidates.
Comai said interviews will start in November and she hopes to have a new university president announced by Jan. 1, 2010.
“When the (Board of Trustees) gets down to a candidate or a group of candidates that they are comfortable with and who are willing to have their names made public, we’d like to have some sort of forum,” she said. “But we don’t expect to have any candidates willing to be made public so they don’t put their current positions in jeopardy.”
A confidential search
Comai said students will likely not find out who any of the presidential candidates are.
“Most of the candidates do not want their names released due to the sensitivity of their positions as university presidents,” said Steve Smith, director of public relations.
Comai said the committee is willing to have public forums if the candidates are willing.
Smith anticipates the only name students will hear is the candidate offered the job and succeeds Interim University President Kathy Wilbur. Wilbur replaced Rao on July 1 when he began his presidency at Virginia Commonwealth University.
The process is so secretive, Student Government Association President and presidential search screening committee member Jason Nichol was not sure if he could disclose the location of where the presidential search committee meets.
“I’ve had to sign so many confidentially agreements, I’m not sure what I’m allowed to talk about,” the Mount Pleasant senior said.
Comai said she hopes to involve more people from the greater CMU community and plans to invite more faculty, students and administrators to be involved in the process.
