Search for New University President Raises Concerns

CLOCK PHOTO/ EMILY LACHANCE

Selecting a new President for Plymouth State University is a process the community is currently undergoing. The first two of the three candidates have visited campus this week, but many community members, faculty, staff and students still have questions about the Presidential search process.

Student Body President, Alex Herbst, opened the first candidate open forum by saying, “There have been times when there have been questions by students about whether or not things that are going on, on this campus are being completely transparent from the higher levels of administration all the way down through faculty, staff and students. Often times students almost feel like they’re being left out of the communication loop.”

Many members of the University community were alarmed when the names of the candidates weren’t released the moment the three candidates were selected by the Presidential Candidate Search Committee. “I think the presidential search process comes at a time when many at Plymouth State, faculty and staff, feel quite vulnerable,” said Katherine Donahue, Anthropology Department Chair and Professor. “The request to keep the identity of candidates confidential was identified as one more example of perceived changes in the agency of faculty in decision making.”

A committee member has come forward to inform the public that the three candidates had requested that their name not be released to protect their current titles and ensure job security. “This is a really common thing going on. It’s happened in plenty of other places,” said Presidential Search Committed Student Representative, Grady Arnao said. “Actually at UNH, they were going to make it public and one of the candidates didn’t come. He ended up being their best candidate and so he never really came to campus.”

“I think that sometimes organizations lose sight of the fact that candidates have to pick us too,” said Terry Dautcher, Contract Faculty in Business and Interim Director of Graduate Business Programs.

Choosing the right candidates is a major concern, as it will affect the direction in which the University will go in, in the upcoming years. “Plymouth State is faced with a number of challenges that have to do with declining high school student enrollments, with a legislature challenged with finding funding sources, with changing concepts of the applicability of higher education to future job opportunities, and with different interpretations of the role of academia, including that of members of the faculty, in determining their roles in shaping the future of Plymouth State,” said Donahue. Thus, the committee selection process is critical.

Committee members were chosen through a survey, with the exception of the Student Representative, who was chosen by Student Senate and Vice President, Jim Hundrieser. The survey was open to everyone in each constituency. Faculty, staff, and administration were able to select the best representative.

After the committee was selected, the process went as follows: First the committee, people of different constituencies, came together to get to know one another and create a challenge document. The challenge document outlines the qualities, values, and leadership that Plymouth State University is looking for in their next president. “In order to figure out what to look for in a president, we look at the needs of the campus, what the current issues are and determine what should be included in the challenge document,” said Arnao. They also decided on the search-consulting firm, Isaacson, Miller.

The firm then came together with the committee to listen in on some sessions to get information about the community and what the University is looking for to solidify the challenge document. The firm then started to reach out to different places to get people to apply. Some candidates applied directly to the ad and others were reached out to directly and asked to apply. Over 100 applications were submitted to firm and those applications were then presented to the search committee, who narrowed down the pool to 32 candidates.

The firm then went on to seek more information and reach out to a few more people. In the next meeting, the search committee took the research and narrowed the pool down to nine people and then met in Manchester to conducted airport interviews. “We [all 15 members] were able to narrow it down to three people that we all felt comfortable with. We all had these three candidates one our top three, so that’s why we only have three people visiting the campus instead of four because we didn’t even want to have a back up person because we were so comfortable with the three.”

The search process is now in it’s final steps with campus interviews, and campus involvement. The information will then be presented to the board to decide on the president.

The next forum will be held today, April 15, 2015. Constituent groups may meet the last candidate at the same times and locations as specified for April 7^th and 9^th.