Candidates for next IU president reviewed by committees

Two IU presidential search committees continued reviewing candidates to select IU President Adam Herbert's successor.\nThey met Wednesday and Thursday in closed door sessions at the IU-Purdue University at Indianapolis campus. The Presidential Search Faculty Advisory Committee and the Presidential Search Committee further investigated individual applications to select candidates that would be interviewed at a later date, said Simon Atkinson, a professor in the IU School of Medicine and a member of the Faculty Advisory Committee. \nHe said the Faculty Advisory Committee first reviewed a portion of the applications and then referred the ones they believed best qualified to the Presidential Search Committee.\nCommittee members refused to disclose the number of applications they received. They also would not provide information on how many candidates they are considering for interviews.\n"We are very pleased with the pool so far," said Trustee Sue Talbot, the Presidential Search Committee's chairperson. \nAlong with reviewing applications, both committees discussed the qualities they were seeking in a new president, Atkins said.\nThese traits include "unassailable integrity" and "demonstrated success as an agent of change" among other things, according to IU's presidential search Web site. \nCandidates could be considered an "agent of change" when they serve in a senior leadership position and help bring improvements to an institution, said Larry MacIntyre, IU spokesman. \n"(The board is) just looking for something in the application that the person has initiated changes in an organization that have brought about improvements and have generally increased the way an institution was regarded," he said.\nAlong with bringing general improvements to the University, Talbot stressed the importance of a president with an interest in the future of IU's well-being.\n"Something very high on our priorities when we look at the applications is 'Do they believe in student engagement?'" she said.\nTalbot said many of the applicants already met these standards and the committee "would not even review their applications if they hadn't."\nAs weeks turn to months and committee members dive only deeper into applications, some outside the committee are curious when they can realistically expect the new president's announcement.\n"I have been told by more than one trustee that they would love to complete this within the academic year," MacIntyre said. \nThough he would not comment on whether he believed this a feasible goal, MacIntyre acknowledged several of the committee members' desires to have Herbert's replacement selected before next summer, when several trustees are up for reelection.\nTalbot is one trustee who faces an expiring term but said she has not decided whether she will run again because of "personal reasons." However, despite such obstacles the committee's chairperson said the board would not worry about how long the search process took.\n"What we have said all along is what we are going to stay with," Talbot added, referring to the candidates' qualifications. "And if it takes until 2008 to find the right person, we will work until 2008."\nBoth the Presidential Search Committee and the Faculty Advisory Committee will meet again next month to continue reviewing applications in greater depth, Talbot said, although she added the selection of the next president is still "a long way off"