July 29, 2011

50 nominations for ISU presidency, so far

by Diana Pounds

More than 50 people have been nominated for the ISU presidency over the past few weeks, search firm executive Daniel Parker told the search committee during its July 28 conference call meeting.

Only a few weeks into the search process, it's already a very good pool, said Parker, of Parker Executive Search, Atlanta. He added that during the next five to six weeks of recruiting, nominations could increase by 50 to 100 percent.

Market feedback on Iowa State

Parker assured the committee that "market feedback on Iowa State continues to be very strong."

People know president Gregory Geoffroy and Iowa State and are very complimentary, he said. The Iowa economy is in better shape than many other states. And everyone knows that Iowa State is a leading land-grant institution.

Search committee co-chair Roger Underwood reminded the search committee that all candidates for the position have requested that their names be kept confidential during the early part of the search.

The candidates know that if they become finalists for the position, their names will be released, he added.

The state Board of Regents asked the search committee to identify three to five finalists, who will visit campus in the fall.

Future meetings

The search committee will meet by teleconference on Aug. 16 (1:30 p.m.). In a Sept. 9 meeting, the committee will undertake a detailed review of candidates.

Recruitment ads

Recruitment ads for the ISU position are scheduled to run soon in the Chronicle of Higher Education, Diverse Issues in Higher Education, Women in Higher Education and Hispanic Outlook.

In March, Geoffroy announced his intention to leave his post no later than July 31, 2012. He will remain president of Iowa State until a successor is named.