Committee pleased with candidates for next IU president

After being impressed by presidential candidates during the first round of interviews, the Presidential Search Committee is confident they will find the University's next leader in a reasonable timetable. \nStill, the committee continues to reach out to certain individuals who they have not yet considered for the position but who might serve as strong candidates as the inquiry continues, said IU trustee Sue Talbot. There is no deadline for submitting nominations for the position, and Talbot, the search committee's chair, said they might be conducting more first-round interviews in the "very near future." \n"We were very impressed with the depth of knowledge the (applicants) brought to the candidate sessions," Talbot said. "Even further, they all had a high regard for IU as an institution and that is very flattering."\nCandidates began meeting with the search committee Jan. 10 in Chicago where they were individually pressed about their qualifications, Talbot said. These intense interviews are for a position which has been highly touted by some University officials as reserved for someone exceptional. \nCandidates who stood out over others demonstrated how their previous experience has brought them to where they are today and the challenges they have faced previously in other leadership roles, Talbot said.\nAnd although officials have maintained throughout the search that these qualities were standard for such a high-profile and management-intensive position, some faculty have suggested the trustees are specifically looking for a new president with different leadership qualities. \nHerbert has been criticized for his management style and failure to act as the University's visible figurehead throughout his tenure, said J. Alexander Tanford recently. Tanford, an IU law professor, has served as an active voice in advocating for greater openness in the presidential search and said the search committee would likely select a candidate who displayed a different management style than Herbert.\nTalbot remains unshaken and committed to the search's processes, despite the harsh criticism. She said people such as IU Student Association Vice President Andrew Lauck, who recently spoke against the lack of student involvement, were dwelling on issues the committee had previously resolved. \n"We have had (student) input from the start," Talbot said. "(Lauck) is continuing to talk about conversations we have had in the past. But yes, we considered their suggestions, and no, we did not choose to involve them in the search process and all I can say is 'I'm sorry.'"\nDespite protests about the hushed presidential pursuit, Talbot was quick to dispel the notion that IU could face an embarrassment like the one witnessed at the University of Iowa -- a fellow president-seeking institution that also chose to cloud its search in closed-door conferences. Iowa disbanded its search in December, after narrowing the field down to a final four candidates. The decision rippled throughout academia, but Talbot insisted there was no chance the same would be seen at IU. \nEven if no new candidates emerged, Talbot said because the search committee was pleased enough with the current applicants, they would be able to select the University's next leader. \n"We learned a good lesson from watching (Iowa)," she said. "And we are all feeling for them"