Search for Student Services vice president under way
Utah State University is continuing in its search for a new vice president for Student Services.
The search has been on the go since Vice President Patricia Terrell left the post in July of 2002. She accepted a position as vice president and associate provost for Student Affairs at the University of Kentucky, her native state.
In the fall of 2002, Craig Petersen was named interim Student Services vice president until a replacement could be found. Petersen had no comment on the situation the university is facing in finding a new candidate for his position.
As of January 2003, Gary Chambers, assistant vice president for Student Life, has been reassigned to the position of vice president for Student Services until the search for a permanent replacement concludes, said John DeVilbiss, executive director of Public Relations and Marketing.
Barbara White, vice president for Information Technology and USU’s Chief Information Officer, said the university search committee comprises 12 representatives from across campus, including students, professors, administrators and Student Services.
The committee has teamed with a national search firm called Barker-Parker Inc. in compiling a final list of applicants for the job. Barker-Parker Inc. is a consulting firm with 27 years of experience conducting executive searches, White said.
“They are extremely thorough and professional, and they know the field of candidates as well as any company in the business,” White said.
The search committee has received a full pool of candidates. Currently it is in the process of getting a first look at the applicants who qualify for the job, she said.
The university is looking for a candidate who is student-oriented but also has experience in management.
“We’re looking for someone who understands and is sympathetic to student concerns and who also understands larger institutional issues,” she said.
According to the job description, the vice president for Student Services is one of six vice presidents. The job holder administers to about a 100-person staff and reports to the president. Responsibilities cover Career Services, Children’s House, Counseling Center, Disability Resource Center, Taggart Student Center, Housing and Food Services, Learning and Life Skills, 1st Year Experience, Campus Recreation, Multicultural Student Affairs, Personal Development Center, Student Activities, Student Government, Student Health Services, Student Honor Code, Student Publications, Student Support Services (TRIO), Substance Abuse Prevention and Education, and Women’s and Re-entry Student Center.
“The vice president for Student Services is a key voice in our relationship with the community at large, too, so it is critical that we find someone who recognizes the importance of this role,” White said.
DeVilbiss said the search committee is hoping to submit a final list to the president by February in hopes of having a new vice president in place by July of 2003.
–alwhite@cc.usu.edu