Grad school dean finalists selected
The interview process for the four candidates will conclude March 2.
Published Feb. 16, 2010
The search for a new Graduate School dean has drawn nearer to its conclusion with MU narrowing the field of applicants to four.
Included among the finalists are candidates from Oklahoma State University and the University of Kansas, an MU engineering professor and the interim dean of the Graduate School.
The four finalists were selected after an extended period of searching for as many qualified applicants as possible, College of Engineering Dean James Thompson said. Co-chairman of the committee tasked with finding a replacement for former Graduate School Dean Pam Benoit, Thompson said a list of objective criteria was developed to find a group of semifinalists. Those semifinalists then participated in a round of shorter interviews conducted by the committee.
The finalists consist of OSU Graduate College Dean Gordon Emslie, Interim Graduate School Dean George Justice, KU communication professor Diana Carlin and Cerry Klein, National Science Foundation program director and engineering professor.
Thompson said the four remaining candidates best embodied the ideals initially established by the search committee.
"We're looking for someone that has background and understanding of the importance of graduate education," Thompson said. "Someone who has innovation with regard to graduate education."
In the next step toward finding a dean, each finalist will go through a two-day interview process, Thompson said. While in Columbia, the candidates will meet with both faculty and student organizations. Each candidate will also be present for an open forum on campus. One candidate will be interviewed each week until the process is scheduled to conclude March 2.
Search Committee Co-chairwoman Lee Wilkins said there will be opportunities for MU students to let their opinions on the candidates be known.
"People can e-mail, there's a Web site open for this purpose and they can give feedback in that way," Wilkins said.
Thompson said the voice of the student body will be taken into account when the final decision is made.
"All of the input from the various constituencies, and it's a two-day process, so there are many groups that will be meeting with the candidates, all of that information will be given to the provost," Thompson said. "Student input will be very important."
Although the committee will provide insight on the strengths and weaknesses of each candidate following their interview, Wilkins said the final decision lies with Provost Brian Foster.
"The search committee, in general, feels that these people would a good job fulfilling the duties of the dean as explained on the Web site," Wilkins said.
The Graduate School's Web site features the resume and interview dates of each candidate, as well as a formal description of the duties of the graduate dean.
"The graduate dean is expected to support and promote the highest quality graduate programs, aligning graduate education with research, public service and economic development activities," the Web site stated. "The dean must be an effective advocate for graduate education, both within the university and externally."
Thompson said neither faculty nor the outside applicants would receive a leg up on the competition because of their connections to the university.
"We have made it very clear that the objective of the committee and the objective of the provost is to find the best candidate," Thompson said. "If that person is not present internally or externally, it doesn't matter. Our job is simply to find them."
