Spring Break
Search continues for next university presidential pick
Chris Curtis
Issue date: 3/12/09 Section: News
03/12/09 - The field of candidates in the search for the next president of the University of Rhode Island has been narrowed down to less than 10.
Search committee members said the current number of candidates is somewhere between 10 and six, but declined to give a specific number.
Search committee president Tom Ryan said the group represents a nice mix of candidates.
"I think it's a great cadre of candidates," he said. "They have unique experiences, whether it's the size of the school or their area of expertise, and it's a fairly diverse group of candidates also."
Candidates showed a variety of different strengths, including backgrounds in research, finance and educational planning, Ryan said.
Ryan, a URI alumnus and president and CEO of CVS Caremark is a longtime benefactor of the university.
Ryan was appointed to head the 15-member committee after URI President Robert L. Carothers announced in September that he would end his 18-year tenure as president in June 2009.
Other committee members include Athletic Director Thorr Bjorn, URI senior Brandon Brown and Dean of the College of Arts and Sciences Winifred Brownell.
The current candidates were selected from an original pool of 25 to 30 candidates provided through Isaacson-Miller, an executive search firm specializing in non-profit organizations and public agencies.
The cost of the firm accounts for the majority of the $150,000 to $175,000 budgeted for the search, said Commissioner of the Rhode Island Board of Governors for Higher Education (RIBGHE) Jack Warner.
The semi-finalists in the search will soon be flown in to be interviewed by the search committee, Warner said, and will be narrowed down to approximately three.
These three will then be reviewed by the RIBGHE as a whole, Warner said, and the board hopes to announce a final choice at its May 11 meeting.
The university community will also have an opportunity to interact with candidates prior to the final selection through a series of public forums in April, said Student Representative Brandon Brown.
Search committee members said the current number of candidates is somewhere between 10 and six, but declined to give a specific number.
Search committee president Tom Ryan said the group represents a nice mix of candidates.
"I think it's a great cadre of candidates," he said. "They have unique experiences, whether it's the size of the school or their area of expertise, and it's a fairly diverse group of candidates also."
Candidates showed a variety of different strengths, including backgrounds in research, finance and educational planning, Ryan said.
Ryan, a URI alumnus and president and CEO of CVS Caremark is a longtime benefactor of the university.
Ryan was appointed to head the 15-member committee after URI President Robert L. Carothers announced in September that he would end his 18-year tenure as president in June 2009.
Other committee members include Athletic Director Thorr Bjorn, URI senior Brandon Brown and Dean of the College of Arts and Sciences Winifred Brownell.
The current candidates were selected from an original pool of 25 to 30 candidates provided through Isaacson-Miller, an executive search firm specializing in non-profit organizations and public agencies.
The cost of the firm accounts for the majority of the $150,000 to $175,000 budgeted for the search, said Commissioner of the Rhode Island Board of Governors for Higher Education (RIBGHE) Jack Warner.
The semi-finalists in the search will soon be flown in to be interviewed by the search committee, Warner said, and will be narrowed down to approximately three.
These three will then be reviewed by the RIBGHE as a whole, Warner said, and the board hopes to announce a final choice at its May 11 meeting.
The university community will also have an opportunity to interact with candidates prior to the final selection through a series of public forums in April, said Student Representative Brandon Brown.
