President, vice provost searches making headway

No new candidates have been formally declared or interviewed in the searches for a new Portland State president and new vice provost of student affairs, but the presidential search committee will have a narrowed list of candidates to announce sometime in February, according to search committee chair Jim Francesconi.

The vice provost search committee will either announce two to three final candidates within the next two weeks, said committee chair Marvin Kaiser, or end the current search and determine what to do next starting in February.

Presidential search committee

The presidential search committee is waiting to announce candidates due to confidentiality agreements, because some applicants may not have alerted their current employers to their candidacy.

Francesconi, who is also a member of the State Board of Higher Education, said the committee plans to interview between 10 to 15 people out of a pool of more than 100 applicants. There is not a definite date for when a president will be selected, Francesconi said, adding that the interview process can be unpredictable and subject to sudden changes.

“We’re very pleased with the applicant pool, and there are lots of people to consider, meaning lots of narrowing down for the committee,” he said. “It will take time, but rest assured we’re making progress.”

The application pool is still open and accepting submissions, Francesconi said. Michael Reardon, a longtime administrator at PSU, came out of retirement last spring to act as interim president, replacing Daniel O. Bernstine, who left PSU after 10 years to head the Law School Admissions Council. PSU student body president Rudy Soto and business school dean Scott Dawson serve on the 17-member committee.

The president acts as PSU’s senior official, overseeing all academic and professional matters within the university.

Vice provost of student affairs search committee

Kaiser said the vice provost search committee will reach a decision in two weeks: either to publicly announce the candidates who will be vying for the position or end the current search and consider their options for finding a new vice provost. The committee may also appoint a new interim vice provost or hire a new search committee, Kaiser said.

“We don’t know what alternatives will be available, be they starting a new search or determining another approach, but we’ll know for sure where we stand soon enough,” said Kaiser, who is the dean of PSU’s College of Liberal Arts and Sciences.

The vice provost position has been vacant for over two years, filled since 2005 by interim vice provost Dan Fortmiller, former head of the Undergraduate Advising and Support Center. Fortmiller has said he will return to his previous position once a vice provost is appointed, which Kaiser said he expects to happen by next year.

The vice provost of student affairs oversees all parts of the university related to student involvement and success, such as the Women’s Resource Center, new student orientation, all student groups, the tutoring centers and the Center for Student Health and Counseling.