UL Presidential Selection Process

[NewsCopy]

UL's Landry "strongly" eyes top post. State's Savoie non-committal Steve Landry, UL Lafayette’s vice president for academic affairs, says he’s “strongly considering” applying for the university president’s job, but the state’s commissioner of higher education maintains it’s “much too soon” to talk about his potential interest. E. Joseph Savoie, who has served as commissioner for the past 11 years, says he is focusing his attention on the current legislative session, which comes to a close at the end of June. “This could be a historic session for us,” Savoie says. “I’m not going to let rumors avert my attention.” Before becoming commissioner, Savoie was vice president for university advancement for five years. Now 53, he was the youngest commissioner in the country when he took over the job — he’s now the third longest serving. Landry, however, isn’t as distracted. “I’m watching for the ads and the timeline,” he says. “I’m getting encouragement from some of my colleagues … from faculty.” Landry has served in his current post since 2000; prior to that, he was vice president for research after having been director of research and sponsor programs. In the 1980s he was a faculty member in the computer science department and head of the department. Both Landry and Savoie have doctorates and classroom experience, which is favored by members of UL’s faculty. While a nationwide search is under way, they are viewed as top contenders for the post, but many believe they may represent the status quo due to their loyalty to retiring UL President Ray Authement. Whether the search committee will seek candidates who represent significant change in the direction of the university has yet to be determined. Long considered the heir-apparent, Savoie acknowledges such “rumors have been around for several years.” Saying he is “flattered” by the speculation, Savoie is adamant there is no basis for it. “If there have been any arrangements made, I haven’t been a part of them,” he says. The rest of the story Leslie Turk

Landry Savoie

[NewsCopy]

The UL System will hire a consultant to help recruit a pool of candidates to replace retiring UL President Ray Authement, but the recruiting already has begun, said UL System President Sally Clausen. "Every one of us is a recruiter now," Clausen said after listening to comments from a crowd of about 100 people who attended the first public hearing of the search committee set to find Authement's replacement. "The way that we speak, what we say, how much we know, our interests in ourselves and our future will be reflected in the interest of the candidates that we hope to attract," she said. The rest of the story Marsha Sills msills@theadvertiser.com

[NewsCopy]

So far, no budget has been set for the expense of searching for the next UL president. But a consultant will be hired to help with the task, according to UL System President Sally Clausen. "Coaches recruit - look how much money is spent on that process," she said after the system's search committee's first public forum last week in Lafayette. "Why not take the same approach and recruit for the highest position at a university that affects everybody?" It's been about three years since the system conducted its last search for a president. During the search for the new Grambling president, which ended in 2004, the system spent $49,900 on consultant fees. In 2001, consultant fees were $35,139 for the search for UL Monroe's new president. The rest of the story Marsha Sills msills@theadvertiser.com

[NewsCopy]

At least 25 people have issued comments online or by phone about the UL presidential search, but the system isn't releasing who or how many people have applied for the job yet. "We do not release it until it is complete," said Jackie Tisdell, executive director of student development and communications. Tisdell explained that as part of the process, system officials verify that the application and materials were submitted by the applicant. She said during the verification process system officials also ensure that the applicant understand that the application and submitted materials will be made public. Tisdell could not say how long the verification process would take or how many applicants have submitted applications. The rest of the story Marsha Sills msills@theadvertiser.com

[NewsCopy]

BATON ROUGE, La. – Seven professionals have submitted applications to become the new president of the University of Louisiana at Lafayette. All seven are based outside of Louisiana, representing six different states and China.

[NewsCopy]

BATON ROUGE, La. – Seven professionals have submitted applications to become the new president of the University of Louisiana at Lafayette. All seven are based outside of Louisiana, representing six different states and China. The applicants are: • James William Berry, Ph.D., Provost and Senior Vice President for Academic Affairs at Butler University, Indianapolis, Indiana • Peter Fos, Ph.D., D.D.S., Dean of the College of Health at the University of Southern Mississippi, Hattiesburg • John Frederic Garmon, Ph.D., Chief Academic Officer at New Mexico State University at Carlsbad • Valentine James, Ph.D., Dean of the College of Humanities and Social Sciences at Fayetteville State University, North Carolina • Christopher Lu, Ph.D., Professor at the University of Hawaii at Hilo • James Mackin, Ph.D., Provost and Vice President for Academic Affairs at Bloomsburg University of Pennsylvania • James Moy, Ph.D., Dean and Chair Professor of the School of Creative Media at City University of Hong Kong Full applications are available for the public to review in the UL Lafayette campus library and electronically on the UL System’s website, www.ulsystem.net. The presidential search committee held its first meeting and public hearing June 14 on the UL Lafayette campus. Desired qualifications for a new president were compiled from public input at that meeting and through a special email, web comment form and phone line set up for the search. Those qualifications are also posted on the UL System’s website. A special “You Tube” site, www.youtube.com/ulsystem, houses video clips of the entire June 14 meetings. The next committee meeting and public hearing are scheduled for September 12 in Lafayette. Later in the year public candidate interviews are planned with the expectation of naming a new president by December. Voting members on the presidential search committee are ULS Board members Paul Aucoin, Elsie Burkhalter, Robert Hale, Jeffrey Jenkins, Renee Lapeyrolerie, Jimmy Long, Sr., Wayne Parker, Olinda Ricard (student member), and Winfred Sibille, as well as UL Lafayette Faculty Senate representative John Meriwether. Serving on the search committee in an advisory, non-voting capacity are community member and UL Lafayette Foundation representative James Prince and UL Lafayette Student Government Association President Candace Urbanowski. UL System President Sally Clausen serves as the committee chair. President Ray Authement, the longest-standing public university president in the country at 33 years, announced April 27 he will retire from UL Lafayette. For More Information Contact: Jackie Tisdell 225-342-6950 jtisdell@uls.state.la.us The rest of the story System

[Pirogue]

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Anyone find that list impressive?

[BrockMeaux]

Have they closed the application process? I'd bet that it'll be somebody not on that list. If it's somebody from the list though...James Mackin, and that's just throwing a dart at the list. Plus, Jhari Evans of the New Orleans Saints comes from Bloomsburg and he was an excellent draft pick last year.

[RonMexico]

Anyone find that list impressive?

depressive

[RCAJUN90]

Anyone find that list impressive?

No. Maybe the guy from USM has experience building a regional school into a national contender. Not one VP in the USA is interested?

[bigguill]

I truly do hope that they find someone from out of state. I was excited when I looked at the list and saw that no one on there was from Louisiana. If we want UL to actually make progress, the last thing we need is someone who has grown up with the Louisiana mentality of sub-par = excellence.

[cajun4ever]

_ Have they closed the application process? I'd bet that it'll be somebody not on that list. If it's somebody from the list though...James Mackin, and that's just throwing a dart at the list. Plus, Jhari Evans of the New Orleans Saints comes from Bloomsburg and he was an excellent draft pick last year. _

"So far, seven candidates, all serving at institutions outside Louisiana, have sent in applications.

Applications still are being taken, and the first interviews for the position will not happen until October."

That came from the article in the advertiser.