The meeting process to select San Diego State’s next university president began Tuesday, and confidentiality and student accessibility were top priorities.
The search committee emphasized privacy. At the meeting, attendees were informed that members will have access to candidate information through a special website. They were instructed not to speak to anyone about the content.
“The reputation of SDSU, the California State University and my own will be on the line,” CSU Chancellor Charles B. Reed said. “I have to commit to candidates that I will be absolutely confidential because if not, it can ruin their careers.”
Reed also said that in the past, sitting presidents from other universities, provosts, deans and faculty have applied. If their names were to be revealed, it could cost them their jobs.
“For some applicants it may mean a pay raise, but for other candidates, it would cause an unrest among their campus knowing they are searching around,” Reed said. “I will be in charge of checking candidate’s backgrounds; like reviewing criminal, academic and degree records in a confidential way … So do not go looking for that information.”
This meeting was the first in the search for the next president, and the only one open to the public.
The committee opened the floor to ask the audience about certain qualifications wanted in the next president.
Manuel Enriquez, the SDSU vice chair of Association of Chicana Activists, said there is a need for the president to be accessible to students and dedicated to a higher education.
“(The next president) needs to give back to the community rather than staying at the university as an ivory tower,” Enriquez said.
When Reed was asked what qualities he is looking for in a candidate, he said he wants someone “who is a leader, has vision, passion and wants to serve a … diverse range of students.”
The purpose of this first meeting was to overview the organization of the committees, set a timeline for the next meetings and discuss the position description of the president, the CSU assistant vice chancellor for public affairs Claudia Keith said.
Members of the CSU Board of Trustees and the Advisory Committee were in attendance.
The Advisory Committee is comprised of SDSU faculty, students, alumni and a member of the campus advisory board. Grant Mack, Associated Students president, is the only student representative on the committee.
According to Chairman William Hauck, the committees will meet on March 24 to review applicants’ résumés and filter through the candidates. A few of the semi-finalist will be interviewed in mid-April. In May, the finalists will visit SDSU and meet with campus constituency groups.
“We need someone with energy, passion and desire because this is not an 8-to-5 position,” Hauck said.
A week after their visit, each candidate will be interviewed by the Board of Trustees.
The Advisory Committee will make a recommendation for the final candidate, but the ultimate selection lies with the Board of Trustees and the CSU chancellor, Keith said.
The application process is a national search for the best candidate. This is an attractive position because of SDSU’s location, academic reputation and diversity, Jack Beresford, chief communications officer for the president’s cabinet, said.
President Stephen L. Weber’s last day as president will be July 5 and the new president is expected to assume office before then. Weber has served as SDSU president since 1996.
