Hall one of 12 finalists for job at U of Tennessee

Here’s story from AP:

Candidate list for UT president narrowed to 12

By AMBER McDOWELLAssociated Press Writer NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) – Seven people with Tennessee ties were among 12 candidates who emerged from the pack Monday as contenders for the job of University of Tennessee president. UT’s Presidential Search Advisory Council first cut the pool of 47 applicants to 16 based on a list of recommendations from the consulting firm hired to assist it. Then, after a series of votes, the panel made up of trustees, alumni, faculty, students and staff cut another four names before adjourning. “We have an excellent group of candidates, I’m very pleased with the people who stepped up,” said council member Spruell Driver, president-elect of the UT National Alumni Association. “The (upcoming) task will be difficult because of the quality of candidates, but that’s a great problem to have.” The dozen finalists – including one UT campus chancellor, one woman and one minority – next will be interviewed and undergo extensive background checks before the Board of Trustees selects a president later this month. “If someone wants to be considered April 21 by the Board of Trustees, they’ve got to be considered by this group today. You are the gatekeeper for the eventual president of the University of Tennessee,” trustee and council chairman Jim Murphy told his colleagues before they began work Monday. The unusually open presidential selection process came in response to the downfall of a president who had been wooed to the job in secret by a consultant. John Shumaker resigned in August when his penchant for lavish living at the university’s expense was exposed after 14 months on the job. “We’ve taken extraordinary measures to ensure all of us know as much as we possibly can about each of the candidates,” consultant Gary Daugherty told the council. Daugherty’s firm had “direct, candid” conversations with all candidates and made them certify in writing that their resumes were accurate. “Each assured us there is nothing there that will cause us, their current institution or the University of Tennessee any embarrassment.” The 12 finalists picked by the search council are: – Jerry W. Askew, senior vice president for advancement and community development at Saint Mary’s Health System in Knoxville. – Jack Burns, vice president for academic affairs and research in the University of Colorado system. – Brady Deaton, vice chancellor for academic affairs at the University of Missouri at Columbia and a former UT professor. – William E. Evans, scientific director and executive vice president at the Saint Jude Children’s Research Hospital in Memphis. – Tom Galligan Jr., dean of the University of Tennessee College of Law. – Kermit Hall, president and professor of history at Utah State University. – Karen Hitchcock, president of the State University of New York at Albany. – Thomas Meredith, chancellor of the University System of Georgia. – Kenneth Olden, director of the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences and National Toxicology Program, and a native Tennessean. – John Peters, president of Northern Illinois University and a former provost for UT-Knoxville. – John Petersen, chancellor and provost for university affairs at the University of Connecticut. – Bill W. Stacy, chancellor at UT-Chattanooga. Monday’s selection was particularly special to Olden, who – because he is black – was refused entry into UT as a student almost 50 years earlier. “I’m obviously very pleased and excited,” Olden said. “I look forward to having a discussion with the search committee.” The panel winnowed three names suggested by Daugherty’s search firm – Dan Angel, president of Marshall University in West Virginia; Lt. Gen. Dennis D. Cavin, commanding general of the U.S. Army Accessions Command; and William J. Madia, executive vice president for laboratory operations at the Battelle Memorial Institute. In the weeks leading up to Monday’s meeting, Madia had been thought to be a top contender for the post. His early departure from consideration came as a surprise to several. “I am surprised, but I was surprised with most of the people who came out,” Murphy said. “(Madia) was one that had a lot of qualifications, (but) not much academic experience.” The committee also eliminated one candidate it voted earlier in the day to consider, Kenneth B. Roberts, pharmacy dean at the University of Kentucky. — To read biographical summaries of each of the candidates, visit http://pr.tennessee.edu/presidentialsearch/

++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++Earlier:

Forty-seven candidates — including current USU president Kermit L. Hall and former president George Emert — will be narrowed to 10 this week in the search for a new president at the University of Tennessee.

Watch Wednesday’s Statesman for more information.

How do they all stack up? Here’s a link with the complete list:

http://pr.tennessee.edu/presidentialsearch/candidates.asp