Heather Mangan

Four candidates will meet face-to-face with students, faculty and others in a round of sessions on-campus Sept. 14 and 15.

The forums are the last part of the process to pick SDSU’s next leader.

“We have a very good pool of candidates and I think we picked the best candidates and I’m really excited to have them come to campus,” said Steph Chase, a student representatives on the presidential search committee.

The names of the four finalists were announced Sept. 8. A former university president and three university administrators will meet with different constituent groups prior to the final decision. Current President Peggy Miller retires in December after nine years at SDSU.

The finalists are:

David L. Chicoine, vice president for technology and economic development at the University of Illinois, Champaign, Ill.

William M. Marcy, provost and senior vice president for academic affairs at Texas Tech University, Lubbock, Texas.

Norval F. Pohl, former president of University of Texas, Denton, Texas.

Colin G. Scanes, vice president for research and economic development, Mississippi State University, Starkville, Miss.

“We feel very, very good about our finalists,” said Regent Terry Baloun, chairman of the search committee.

Baloun said this group of finalists is among the most qualified the BOR has had in previous presidential searches.

Students, faculty, alumni, community members, regents, administration members and exempt and support staff will have the opportunity to question the candidates during specific allotted times. The constituent groups will then record the candidates’ strengths and weaknesses. After the last session on Friday, the search committee has one hour to give recommendations based on the different constituent reactions. The BOR will then select the new president and will make the announcement in Brookings when schedules agree, said BOR Executive Director Robert T. “Tad” Perry. He said the decision will definitely be made before the October BOR meeting.

Chase said it’s important for students to attend the sessions because she and Alex Halbach, the search committee’s other student representative, want to give the BOR an accurate recommendation from the students’ perspective. This is also an opportunity for students to be involved in the selection of their leader, a chance many universities don’t offer students, she said.

Students will be granted a university-excused absence to attend the meetings, Chase said.

Perry recommends that students going to the sessions go to all of the sessions so they have a more complete opinion.

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