Oregon University System Chancellor George Pernsteiner stopped by the ASUO Senate meeting last night to discuss the search for a new president.
Because Interim President Robert Berdahl wishes to be out of office by September 2012, the process to find a University president will be shortened. The hope is to find someone by June.
The way the OUS is choosing to do this is to create both a search committee and a review committee.
Senator Jeremy Hedlund voiced many senator’s concerns about student involvement in the search for the new president at last nights ASUO senate meeting. (Nate Barett/Oregon Daily Emerald)
The search committee will consist of 2o people, including one graduate student, two undergraduate students and six faculty members. The rest will be outside contributors, such as alumni. The idea is to collect a wide range of ideas.
The OUS will also enlist the help of a hiring consultant to help find people willing to be candidates.
“What we’re really looking for is someone who has a lot of experience with presidential searches,” Pernsteiner said.
He and other OUS members will be back on campus Feb. 8 to hold another open forum to talk about the search for a new president.
ASUO Sen. Jeremy Hedlund@@http://directory.uoregon.edu/telecom/directory.jsp?p=findpeople%2Ffind_results&m=student&d=person&b=name&s=Jeremy+Hedlund@@ voiced many senators’ concerns when he asked why there are only three students in a committee of 20.
ASUO senator Laura Hinman voiced concerns that the students selected for the president search committee would not represent the entire student body. (Nate Barett/Oregon Daily Emerald)
“We increased the representation of students from the last time,” Pernsteiner answered, “but to be effective you have to limit it at some point. That’s why it’s important as to who the students are.”
Pernsteiner then asked Senate to submit any student nominees for the search committee by the end of the week.
Sen. Laura Hinman@@http://directory.uoregon.edu/telecom/directory.jsp?p=findpeople%2Ffind_results&m=student&d=person&b=name&s=Hinman@@ worried that the students chosen wouldn’t be diverse enough. She pleaded for diversity among student committee members in order to be able to speak for the entire student body.
“It is important to try to find someone who is involved in a multitude of activities,” she said.
Another concern from the Senate was that students wouldn’t have the means or time to attend meetings. Pernsteiner informed them that this process must be confidential, and therefore some meetings must be held off campus. Even so, the committee will try hard to work with everyone’s schedules.
The review committee will not be created until March and will also include student participants.
