PULLMAN, Wash. – About 20 faculty and graduate students in Pullman and nearly as many attending by video hookups from WSU’s three regional campuses offered their views Monday on the qualities and characteristics they would like to see exhibited by candidates for the position of vice president for research.
Regents Professor of Physics Yogi Gupta, who is co-chairing the search committee with Regents Professor of Economic Sciences Ron Mittelhammer, began the forum by clarifying that the committee had been charged by President Elson S. Floyd with finding candidates to fill the position, which Gupta said will be kept distinct from the position of dean of the WSU Graduate School.
Gupta also introduced Julie Filizetti and Sabrina Singh – representatives of the search firm Isaacson, Miller – who explained that the forum was intended to help them create a position description that would assist in describing the position to potential candidates.
“What we are hoping to create is a document for candidates that really describes what this opportunity represents to them in a very compelling way,” said Filizetti.
Gupta reminded those attending the forum that a comment form also has been made available online at http://vpsearch.wsu.edu to accommodate those who may have been unable to attend the forum. He stressed that confidentiality is essential to the process and urged all who might be interested to provide their ideas and feedback.
“Many times it’s your connections that can really help us,” said Gupta. “You may have sources that know the ‘movers and shakers’ in this field or you may have colleagues at other universities – people you know who can do this job. We need to know those things.”
Other members of the search committee are Associate Professor Brendan Walker, Department of Psychology; Huie-Rogers Chair Professor Diane Cook, School of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science; Regents Professor Sue Ritter, VCAPP; Associate Dean Deb Sellon, Graduate School; Dean and Professor Patricia Butterfield, College of Nursing; Regents Professor Sue Clark, Department of Chemistry; Professor and Director Steve Bollens, School of the Environment; Lydia Tymon, graduate student, Department of Plant Pathology; and Francene Watson, graduate student, Department of Teaching and Learning.