The Ypsilanti Courier
A Heritage Newspaper
Weekly Publication
EMU kicks off president search
11-member committee to expedite process, some contest make-up
By Dan DuChene, Staff Writer
PUBLISHED: September 27, 2007
Eastern Michigan University has announced its plans to find a new president.
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The Board of Regents met on Friday and revealed the framework of an 11-member committee that will spearhead the search to replace former President John Fallon, who was terminated in July after the highly publicized Hill Hall death scandal ended with the U.S. Department of Education finding EMU in violation of the federal Clery Act.
"Choosing the right president for this university is critical," said Tom Sidlik, the regents' chair, as he reveled the make-up of the committee, which he called "compact."
Instead of a 30-member committee, which Sidlik said was the size of the previous group that had selected Fallon, the regents hope this smaller group will be able to select a new president quicker.
He said there is no definite time-line for the search because the group will determine it. However, he said he hopes the group will have its first meeting within the next two weeks.
Several aspects of the university community have representation on the search committee, and members from those groups will be chosen by the organizations they represent. For instance, the EMU Student Government will choose the student representative and the Faculty Council will select its own representative as well.
Sidlik said invitations to the committee will be sent out this week.
Both student and faculty members at the regents' meeting had told the Board they wanted more representation after the plans were announced. The committee has one student and two faculty members, selected by the Faculty Council and the group's union, the American Association of University Professors.
"It's important to find a candidate all groups can feel comfortable with," Russ Larson, the newly elected president of the Faculty Council, told the regents Friday. "This search is critical."
The council had made suggestions on the search process to the regents earlier this month in the form of a written letter. The group had recommended faculty involvement in the shaping of the committee, development of search criteria and timing.
"It's lopsided," said Mark Higbee, an EMU history professor, after the meeting.
Because of the faculty's long-term investment and understanding of EMU, Higbee said he would have liked to see the board made of roughly 50 percent faculty members.
"That is the norm nation-wide," he said.
In addition, representatives from the student body urged the regents to consider more student representatives on the committee. In an earlier statement, EMU's Student Government had asked for two seats on the committee. However, Gregg Jones, the student body president, said he's happy there's at least one.
"It's very good that there's student involvement," he said after the meeting. "It's refreshing.
However, Christopher Bylone, the president of the newly formed Graduate Student Government, said he would have liked to see a graduate student seat on the committee. He asked the regents to reconsider their decision during the meeting on Friday.
"A graduate student needs to be at the table," he said. "Not having a graduate student voice will definitely be a disadvantage."
After the meeting, Sidlik said he had heard all of the complaints made.
"I know everybody wants representation," he said. "But, we want to keep [the committee] small."
When asked if they expected the regents to change the dynamic of the group now that they had made their decision, everyone replied they did not.
The presidential search committee established by the EMU Board of Regents will have 11 members. Invitations are expected to be sent out this week for the following representatives:
Three regents selected by the Board
Two faculty members selected by both the AAUP and the Faculty Council (one per group)
One student chosen by EMU Student Government
One emeritus faculty chosen by the Emeritus Faculty Association
One EMU alum chosen by the Alumni Association
One representative from the EMU Foundation chosen by the EMU Foundation
One member from the "community at-large" chosen by the EMU Board of Regents
One administrator chosen by Executive Vice President Don Loppnow
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