The Ypsilanti Courier
A Heritage Newspaper
Weekly Publication
Regents announce finalists for president search
Community forums to be held in May
By Christine Laughren, Staff Writer
PUBLISHED: April 24, 2008
Eastern Michigan University's Presidential Search Advisory Committee has chosen four finalists in the search for EMU's 22nd president.
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Kenneth Burnley, Michael Flanagan, Susan Martin and Donald E. Sheldon were announced last Thursday as the final candidates.
Roy Wilbanks, co-chairman of the Committee and vice chair of the Board of Regents said he is happy with the pool of candidates.
"I just feel like we have a pretty diverse pool," Wilbanks said. "We have two candidates with a background in education, one traditional candidate with Susan Martin and a non-traditional candidate, Judge Shelton."
Burnley serves as director of the Education Leadership Center of the School of Education at the University of Michigan. Flanagan is superintendent of public instruction for the state of Michigan.
Martin is provost and vice chancellor of academic affairs for the University of Michigan-Dearborn. Shelton is a 22nd Circuit Court judge for Washtenaw County Trial Court.
Wilbanks said the Committee as well as the Board of Regents are impressed with the quality of the final four candidates.
"If you look at their resumes and credentials, every candidate has had a very successful career," Wilbanks said. "Each and every one of them feel like they can make a difference for us and that's exactly what we need."
James F. Stapleton, co-chairman, said any one of the final four candidates would make a great president but he said the process is far from over.
Campus forums will be conducted the week of May 5 to 9 with faculty, senior administrators, students, the community and the unions.
Stapleton said he wants to see how the candidates interact with the community and the people they are going to be serving.
"These campus forums are going to be very determinative, at least from my vote," Stapleton said.
The 12-member search committee has met several times since the hunt for a new president began Oct. 11, 2007.
The group, established by EMU's Board of Regents, was formed to aid an executive search firm, Compass Group, in replacing EMU's 21st president John A. Fallon III.
Fallon's tenure, which began in 2005, was rife with controversy as the former president presided over a faculty strike and the resignation of three regents.
Calls for Fallon's resignation came last summer, shortly after the U.S. Department of Education found the university in violation of federal law for failure to provide a timely warning in response to a homicide investigation surrounding the murder of EMU student Laura Dickinson.Among other things, the DOE's investigation cited a "lack of administrative capability" in its findings.
The Board of Regents voted unanimously to terminate Fallon's contract at a special meeting July 16, 2007.
Shelton said it breaks his heart to see the negative perception some have of EMU. He said he would like to turn that perception around and reiterate safety and transparency on campus.
Shelton also said he would like to see EMU return to its roots as a "teaching university."
"I love Eastern," Shelton said. "I've been associated with the school for more than 20 years and I would be happy to serve in any way that would help the university.
Burnley said he looks forward to hearing from members of the community.
He said marketing the university is one of his priorities.
"(EMU) is a wonderful university, it has a lot to offer," Burnley said.
Public forums will be held from 5:00 to 6:00 p.m. in the student center auditorium Tuesday, May 6 through Friday, May 9.
Flannagan will be the first candidate May 6, followed by Burnley May 7, Shelton May 8 and Martin May 9.
Contact Staff Writer Christine Laughren at 697-8255 or at claughren@heritage.com
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