As the University heads toward the end of the fall semester, the 21 members of the chancellor search committee continue to plow forward on the hunt for the University’s next chancellor.
As of Nov. 5, the committee had received nine formal applications. Two weeks later the committee has received four more formal candidates interested in leading the University as chancellor.
“We are doing fine,” said William Jenkins, LSU System president and interim chancellor. “There are a number of people we are encouraging, but processes like these are not swift and we must work hard to encourage people to apply.”
Jenkins said he is not concerned with the number of formal applicants and said the application process will not stop until a satisfactory candidate is appointed.
“You never want to close the date on anyone,” Jenkins said. “You don’t ever stop accepting candidates.”
Joel Tohline, chair of the search committee, said the reason the application process is continuous is because of the ambiguity of the chosen candidate’s loyalty to the position.
“It has happened before that a candidate was chosen but decided not to accept the position very late in the game for a number of reasons,” Tohline said. “You can never tell what is going to happen so you never want to close the search and rule out candidates.”
The four newest candidates have concentrated focuses in certain academic areas, but Tohline said the candidates’ specific interests are positive attributes.
“I think the broad diversity of candidates is a reflection of the complexity of this institution,” Tohline said. “It shows the visibility of all the areas of the University.”
The four formal applicants are as follows:
Francis T. Borkowski currently is holding a faculty position at Appalachian State University after serving 10 years as it’s chancellor. Borkowski holds a doctorate in music from West Virginia University and has studied at distinguished universities such as Harvard.
Borkowski also served as president of the University of South Florida for five years before accepting the chancellor position at Appalachian State University.
Borkowski listed selected accomplishments of Appalachian State University while under his leadership as chancellor. Some of these accomplishments include being named a “College of the Year” by Time magazine in September 2001 and being fourth among the top public regional universities in the South by U.S. News and World Report’s 2004 Best Colleges Guide.
Borkowski also accomplished more than $450 million in new construction and successfully raised $82.3 million in fundraising campaigns, exceeding the goal by $32.2 million.
“I have been on the campus on a number of occasions and have admired the growth and development of the University while recognizing the challenges the University has confronted over the last two decades,” Borkowski said in his cover letter.
Peter A. Facione currently is serving as a professor and provost of Loyola University Chicago. Facione holds doctorates in philosophy, logic and the philosophy of science from Michigan State University. Facione also is a member of the editorial board of Liberal Education, an award-winning journal of the Association of American Colleges and Universities.
Kenneth C. Randall currently is serving his 12th consecutive year as dean at the University of Alabama School of Law. Randall holds a doctorate from Columbia University School of Law and is serving his 20th year as a law faculty member.
Randall said throughout his tenure of the University of Alabama’s School of Law, the institution has progressed in national ranking from the “third tier” to a “Top 40” ranking and a “Top 17” public school ranking. He said this ranking involves more improvement than any other law school nationwide within the last 12 years.
“I am eager to use my professional experience and my creative energies in new leadership opportunities,” Randall said in his application cover letter. “I would welcome the opportunity to discuss the prospect of working to further LSU’s already outstanding reputation as a preeminent public research institution.”
The application for the fourth candidate, Joseph Berlin, was not received before press time.
Tohline said he is very comfortable and very pleased with the applicants and continues to look to the future for the search committee’s progress. Tohline recently met with a sub-committee to discuss the upcoming visits of potential candidates.
“We are continuing to entice people,” Tohline said. “We are just going to hang loose and see how things progress.”
Tohline said their goal of presenting the Board of Supervisors a list of potential candidates enabling them to appoint a chancellor by the next fiscal year, which begins in July 2005, still is realistic.
will have no problem in meeting that goal,” Tohline said.