Chancellor search process should be open
The chancellor search process at UNCG is under way with a committee formed and a public meeting scheduled for tomorrow afternoon.
"The committee will interview search firms from 2-5:30 p.m. on Wednesday, Jan. 9, in the Chancellor's Board Room in Mossman Building on campus. The sessions are open to the public and parking will be in the Walker Avenue Parking Deck," the university says in a news release.
Also planned are public forums, Jan. 23 and 24, aimed to solicit input about the qualities desired in Pat Sullivan's replacement.
The university also says it will establish a Web site with regular updates about the search.
UNC-Chapel Hill has done that in regard to its search for a successor to James Moeser, which began a few months ahead of UNCG. The site provides lots of information, including minutes of committee meetings.
All to the good. The chancellor of a state university holds an important public position, and there's intense public interest in the person chosen. Which is why we hope the search committees are very open with the public.
That should include releasing the names of finalists for the position when the committees get that far.
Appalachian State disclosed all six of its finalists back in 2004, but that's rare. More the norm was the search at A&T, where Stanley Battle was simply introduced as the choice.
(The chancellor is selected by the UNC system president from three finalists presented by the trustees of the individual university.)
Search committees usually decline to name finalists, saying that sort of openness discourages applicants. That could be, but ASU's search chairman said they didn't lose a single applicant because of their open process.
The university community -- students, faculty, staff, alumni -- and the community at large should have a chance to get an impression of the finalists for this important public position. How else can they get an idea of the variety of talents and diversity of experience from which the president can choose?
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Comments (2)
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You write that "ASU's search chairman said they didn't lose a single applicant because of their open process." There's no way that the chair could reliably say that unless he/she spoke to every POTENTIAL candidate, including all of those whose declined to submit applications--an impossibly tall order.
Transparency of the process is very important. But getting the most qualified chancellor possible is even more important.
Posted on January 9, 2008 3:58 PM
You're exactly right -- it's impossible to know for sure.
What would you encourage the search committee to do?
Posted on January 9, 2008 4:02 PM