Public presidential search meeting receives disappointing turnout
Rachael Burbank
Issue date: 11/6/08 Section: News
On Tuesday, Oct. 28, all faculty, staff, alumni and students received a memo inviting them to an open meeting with Presidential Search Committee chair and member of the Board of Trustees, Mindy Cameron as well as the members of the Isaacson, Miller Search Firm.
The meeting was held two days later on Thursday night in the Alumni Room. A total of ten members from the Pacific community attended; no faculty members from the College of Arts and Sciences were represented. Only two undergraduate students were present and both were seniors; no representatives came from the graduate programs.
Among the rest were three staff members, faculty from the graduate programs, and two alumni. After rearranging the room into a "family style" circle, the firm asked about criteria and concerns for the next person to follow in President Phil Creighton's footsteps.
The group was asked by the three members of the firm, "In five years, what do you hope to see happen at Pacific because of this president?"
While it took time to exalt praise for what Creighton has done up until this point, there were some real issues that needed tweaking. Members of the Hillsboro Health Professions Campus had real concerns over the lack of unity among Pacific University as a whole.
"Our students don't know Phil the way the Forest Grove campus does. He doesn't know their names," said program director of Physical Therapy Richard Rutt. This will be the fourth president Rutt will work with at Pacific.
Rutt refers to the Forest Grove campus as the residential campus, not the main campus. With the tremendous growth each campus has gone through, there was a consensus among the group that the new president needs to nurture these growths before starting on a new strategic plan.
Losing the momentum Creighton has started was the number one thing that would be a huge mistake for the new president to make, according to the group. Each person was asked by the firm "If the new president was your best friend, what would you tell him or her was the biggest landmine after taking the job?"
Kris Bilderback, secretary to the president, responded first, saying "Well, the president is my best friend."
Other particular concerns from staff were increased salaries and faster feedback for department initiatives. From the undergraduate student opinion, Mark Truax said he wants the new president to keep true to the foundations of Pacific, including an intimate class size. A Forest Grove businessman and 1960's alumnus said he wants more visibility of the university president in the community.
Other focus groups with departments on campus were held with the search group on Thursday and Friday. This was the first step for the firm to take, to develop the Challenge and Opportunity Profile to publicize nationally.
The firm hopes to have a pool of 300-400 candidates for the presidential position. Only 3-4 will visit Pacific in the Spring before finals to interview and get a feel for the campus.
The Pacific homepage has an icon for updates on the Presidential Search.
The meeting was held two days later on Thursday night in the Alumni Room. A total of ten members from the Pacific community attended; no faculty members from the College of Arts and Sciences were represented. Only two undergraduate students were present and both were seniors; no representatives came from the graduate programs.
Among the rest were three staff members, faculty from the graduate programs, and two alumni. After rearranging the room into a "family style" circle, the firm asked about criteria and concerns for the next person to follow in President Phil Creighton's footsteps.
The group was asked by the three members of the firm, "In five years, what do you hope to see happen at Pacific because of this president?"
While it took time to exalt praise for what Creighton has done up until this point, there were some real issues that needed tweaking. Members of the Hillsboro Health Professions Campus had real concerns over the lack of unity among Pacific University as a whole.
"Our students don't know Phil the way the Forest Grove campus does. He doesn't know their names," said program director of Physical Therapy Richard Rutt. This will be the fourth president Rutt will work with at Pacific.
Rutt refers to the Forest Grove campus as the residential campus, not the main campus. With the tremendous growth each campus has gone through, there was a consensus among the group that the new president needs to nurture these growths before starting on a new strategic plan.
Losing the momentum Creighton has started was the number one thing that would be a huge mistake for the new president to make, according to the group. Each person was asked by the firm "If the new president was your best friend, what would you tell him or her was the biggest landmine after taking the job?"
Kris Bilderback, secretary to the president, responded first, saying "Well, the president is my best friend."
Other particular concerns from staff were increased salaries and faster feedback for department initiatives. From the undergraduate student opinion, Mark Truax said he wants the new president to keep true to the foundations of Pacific, including an intimate class size. A Forest Grove businessman and 1960's alumnus said he wants more visibility of the university president in the community.
Other focus groups with departments on campus were held with the search group on Thursday and Friday. This was the first step for the firm to take, to develop the Challenge and Opportunity Profile to publicize nationally.
The firm hopes to have a pool of 300-400 candidates for the presidential position. Only 3-4 will visit Pacific in the Spring before finals to interview and get a feel for the campus.
The Pacific homepage has an icon for updates on the Presidential Search.
Be the first to comment on this story