By Stephanie Smith
More dilemmas in search for new president
The committee responsible for finding the next University of Louisville president voted Thursday to designate a spokesman for speaking publicly about the search, placing a gag order upon themselves.
Under the new vote, any committee members who are “speaking out substantially” to the media about the search would be removed, with the exception of cochairman Junior Bridgeman.
Sandra Metts Snowden, a Louisville real estate agent and panel member, proposed the recommendation to maintain confidentiality of potential candidates. According to the Courier-Journal, Chester Porter, the other cochair man, said that the committee didn’t want to give “mixed signals” by having different people speaking for the committee.
The vote was unanimous with the exception of trustee Marie Abrams, who said that the proposal made her nervous because of what it said about their respect for each other and the collegiate atmosphere that should be present at a university. She tried to persuade the panel to formally acknowledge Bridgeman as the official spokesman and not to punish members who spoke to the media, but no member would second her motion.
While U of L is dealing with the pressures of the presidential search, it is also competing against many major universities for a qualified administrator. Lee Hinkle, a Florida State University trustee and the chairwoman of the school’s presidential search transition committee, reportedly said that the number of qualified people might be in the dozens, rather than hundreds or thousands.
Along with Florida State, other competing schools include Rutgers, Oklahoma State University, Indiana University-Purdue University at Indianapolis, and the Universities of Minnesota, Iowa and Florida.
Finding a new president has now become an issue of speed not only because of the race against the other schools, but also because of the possible departure of acting president Jim Ramsey in January.
Ramsey is the second acting president of the university since this summer. He assumed the role after acting president and former provost Carol Garrison accepted the presidency at the University of Alabama-Birmingham. Garrison, who left the university on September 2, was filling in for former president John Shumaker, who announced his resignation last spring to become the president of the University of Tennessee.
Besides his role as acting president at U of L, Ramsey also serves as Governor Paul Patton’s budget director and will be needed in Frankfort when the General Assembly returns in January.
In an interview in The Courier-Journal last week, Ramsey said that a recent ruling by the Executive Branch Ethics Commission, which found that he can do both jobs as long as he doesn’t participate in state policy and budget decisions involving higher education, will make it hard for him to hold both positions once the legislature returns.
Bill Funk, the search consultant hired by the university, said at the August search committee meeting that even if it selects a new president by the end of the year, the person likely wouldn’t start until next July.
However, many people feel that quick action should be taken in hiring a president that could fill the position early next year to eliminate the a search for a third acting president.
About finding a third interim president, Bridgeman said, “I don’t think that would be as critical. I think you want the best possible presidential candidate… you don’t want to rush and make it happen.”
It is complicated to find a candidate with all the qualities looked for by various members of search groups.
Many want someone with an academic background, some want a person who will strengthen the undergraduate programs and will promote diversity, while others want a president who will understand and improve the politics and funding of the university.
According to J.P. Davis, he and other members of the presidential search student advisory committee are looking for someone much like Shumaker; they want a person who has a charismatic personality, who does well with fund-raising, and will keep up endowments. The committee wants someone who “comes from or knows about Research I institutes so that they can relate to the standards of excellence Shumaker laid out seven years ago.”
Davis also said they want someone who is concerned about the lack of funding in academic departments and who will be devoted to strengthening those departments. There will be a future student forum where students can present their concerns and ask questions concerning potential candidates. For those students unable to attend the forum, an email address will be set up where they can send their questions and comments.
The official search committee members approved a tentative timeline reducing the list of candidates to fewer than 15 this month, interviewing through early November, and deciding on finalists to bring to campus by early December. Their next meeting is scheduled for the end of this month.
