The Chancellor Search Committee reached out to IPFW students on Jan. 11, asking them about what they want to see in the university’s next chancellor. It was the fourth and last public forum the committee held before they begin the interview process for candidates for the position. The forum, held in order to see which qualities the student body desired in the new chancellor, was attended by around 10 students and a portion of the search committee.
In the forum, Sternberger posed questions to the students about what kind of characteristics they wished to see in the new chancellor. In return, students there took control of the majority of the conversation.
One of the major themes the students were concerned about was how the new chancellor would connect the university with the community. Under Wartell’s leadership, IPFW had been active in forging relationships with local businesses and foreign universities. He had often traveled overseas to countries like China to create memorandums of understanding, allowing an exchange of students and professors between IPFW and certain schools.
Sternberger said that the comments the students made as well as the faculty and community, fell in line with the committee. When they evaluated data, Sterberger said, “There were no outliers. Nothing was a surprise … It’s incredibly reassuring.”
Only two students represent the entire student body on the search committee. They are Kody Tinnel, vice president of finance, and Laddan Abasi, Ambassadon.
“The students are well representing you … but we need to hear from the larger student body,” said Dr. Carol Sternberger, co-chair of the search committee.
As for Abasi and Tinnel’s responsibilities and participation in the committee, Sternberger said they were very involved.
“Because this is not an open search … they wanted to know, ‘are the students going to have voices, too?’” she said. “They look at things through a student’s perspective and that’s exactly what we need.”
Some students didn’t feel as if their voices were being heard when it came to finding the next chancellor.
“If they would have listened to the students, they wouldn’t have gotten rid of the old chancellor … I think he got a bum deal,” said senior Abigail Schnelker, one of the students who attended the forum.
The closed interviews have also been a controversial point, coming up in faculty senate meetings and casing debate.
“The general process is spelled out on the IPFW website so instead of spending a great deal of time on that, the Committee wanted feedback directly from the students,” said Tinnel, explaining why students did not have an opportunity to pose many questions to the committee members about the search process.
Indiana University uses open searches to find their leaders. However, IPFW has not needed a new chancellor for 18 years. The search for the chancellor which ended with Chancellor Michael Wartell being hired involved open interviews. This time, Purdue University decided upon a closed search. It is supposed to prevent candidates who are employed elsewhere from receiving political trouble at their workplace.
“First of all, I agree that … it would be much easier if it were open … the committee would have less work,” said Sternberger, and she added that it was expected that the search would be open, heralding back to the last search.
Wartell, in the meantime, has been seeking job opportunities elsewhere. He was recently one of the top two finalists in the search for a president of the University of New Orleans (UNO). UNO ultimately chose the other contender, Peter J. Fos. They held an open interview search.
Interviews are expected to begin in February, and the committee is currently assessing criteria and current candidates for the position. It is not certain yet how long the process will last.
