The chancellor search committee named by LSU System President John Lombardi reflects his hopes to find a candidate with a heavy research background. Lombardi named the 21-member committee Tuesday to help him recommend whom should fill the position left vacant by former Chancellor Sean O’Keefe. At least eight of the members have a background based in science and research. “I think what Dr. Lombardi is trying to do is send a message that we want the next chancellor to be heavily interested and familiar with a research-intensive university,” said System Vice President for Communications and External Affairs Charles Zewe. Zewe said although improving the University’s research initiatives is a priority, Lombardi will not ignore the other facets of campus like humanities and arts. According to a System news release, the search committee will narrow a pool of applicants to three or four finalists. These candidates will be invited to LSU for interviews, and the committee will submit their recommendation to Lombardi. He then will recommend to the Board of Supervisors who should be hired. The Board ultimately hires the chancellor. Although Lombardi may reject the committee’s recommendations, Zewe said it is “highly unlikely” Lombardi would do so. Two students serve on the committee – Student Government President Cassie Alsfeld and chair-elect of the LSU Student Union board Cherie Teamer. Alsfeld is a non-voting member because of her position on the Board of Supervisors. Alsfeld will relinquish her position on the committee to her SG president successor, who will be a voting member. Alsfeld said she expects her successor to be on the committee when voting happens. Only one student served on the 22-member search committee involved in the process of hiring O’Keefe – then SG President Brad Golson. The 17-member presidential search committee that brought Lombardi to the System had two student members – Connie Cooper of Alexandria, who was the student member of the Board of Supervisors, and Georgios Mazarakis, then-SG president at the University of New Orleans. Alsfeld said it is important students are represented on the chancellor search committee. She said SG nominated several students to serve on the committee, but ultimately they were not asked to serve. Bill Funk, of R. William Funk and Associates based in Dallas, will help recruit candidates for the job. According to its Web site, Funk’s firm has conducted searches resulting the selection of more than 65 presidents and chancellors at universities across the nation, including the presidents of Florida State, University of Mississippi, Tulane University and the University of Arkansas System. John Hamilton, dean of the Manship School of Mass Communication, has been selected to chair the committee. He said the involvement of a private search firm will help the committee save time and effort. He said Funk’s networking, knowledge and experience with similar searches will expedite the hiring of a chancellor. “When you go get an operation you want a doctor to do it,” Hamilton said. “You wouldn’t go to a gas station and tell the attendant to operate on you. You go to person who only does that thing. And what they do is searches.” Hamilton said he has been involved with so many search committees during his tenure at the University he “can’t even name them all.” He said he hopes to have a chancellor in place no later than the start of the fall semester. “The day of the pipe-smoking chancellor of the university who sits and thinks big thoughts and presides over a faculty are over,” Hamilton said. “The chancellor still presides over the faculty and needs to have a good relationship with faculty and students, but they’re an executive of a huge, multi-million dollar enterprise that has to be competitive with other similar enterprises lest it fall behind.” Six Board members will serve as ex-officio liaisons between the Board and the search committee to follow the search’s progress and communicate with the Board. These Board members are Chairman Jerry Shea, Chairman-elect James Roy, Alvin Kimble, Laura Leach, Hal Hinchliffe and Stanley Jacobs. The remainder of the committee consist of “a cross-section of faculty, students and staff as well as community representatives.” During a Jan. 16 news conference discussing former Chancellor Sean O’Keefe’s resignation, Lombardi said he hopes to talk with a finalized list of chancellor candidates by the end of the spring semester. O’Keefe relinquished his administrative duties Feb. 1 to Acting Chancellor William Jenkins. Jenkins is also serving as System president emeritus and has previously served as both chancellor and provost of the University.
—-Contact Nicholas Persac at [email protected]