New Chancellor search

[YesAppCan]

It appears Dr Peacock will be Chancellor through 2013-2014 acedemic year. Makes me glad my son will get his handshake from Dr Peacock...

FROM http://www.news/appstate.edu

BOONE—The next chancellor at Appalachian State University could be named as early as February and on the job next July, according to Ann Lemmon, associate vice president for human resources at UNC General Administration.

“This will be the most important work you do,” Lemmon told members of Appalachian’s Board of Trustees during a retreat session June 27. “This will be a very attractive job and the search won’t be difficult to conduct. This campus is well known, and is not a campus in crisis,” she said.

Lemmon outlined the process followed in a chancellor’s search, and the typical composition of the search committee and timeline followed.

It’s been 10 years since Appalachian conducted a search for its top administrator. Chancellor Kenneth E. Peacock announced in April plans to step down from the post as soon as a successor is named. At the end of the 2013-14 academic year, he will have completed 10 years in the position.

Lemmon said committee representation should reflect the campus and community, with representation from the board of trustees, faculty, administrators, staff, students, alumni and community members. The past search committees in prior UNC system searches ranged from 15 to 19 members.

The search committee does not hire the chancellor, Lemmon said, but reports to the board of trustees who will recommend three candidates to UNC President Tom Ross for consideration.

Lemmon talked about the confidential nature of chancellor searches noting that Appalachian’s search 10 years ago was the last in the system to be an “open search” in which finalists for the position were made public. Such a practice, Lemmon said, can result in qualified candidates dropping out of the process. Search committee members will conduct their work in closed session. They also will be required to sign a letter of confidentiality.

She also said its common practice to hire a search firm that will seek applicants for the position. She said search firms have a broader knowledge base of potential applicants than search committee members will. “If you think about the world of higher education, we know a lot of folks, but we don’t know everybody,” Lemmon said. “There will be people interested in us who we don’t know about.” Lemmon said it’s not unusual to have as many as 50 individuals interested in serving as a chancellor.

Searches typically cost around $120,000, Lemmon said, which includes the cost of hiring a search firm, and expenses such as travel and other costs associated with conducting a search. Appalachian will use state and non-state funds to finance the search, according to Vice Chancellor for Business Affairs Greg Lovins.

Lemmon shared a timeline for the search that would begin in August with the appointment of the search committee, possible screening of applicants and nominees in October, selection of finalists in November, finalist interviews in December, and a recommendation of three finalists submitted to UNC President Tom Ross in December. Ross would then recommend a finalist for UNC Board of Governor approval in February 2014.

“Typically, we move fast,” Lemmon said of past UNC system chancellor searches. “There is nothing more important that a campus will do. This provides the opportunity to think about who you are and who you want to be in the next 10 years.”

[MountainMan]

Only in academia does a search take a year or more and someone involved says "“....we move fast”
(as Ann Lemmon, associate vice president for human resources at UNC General Administration said).

[JCline0429]

I don't understand the need for a search firm in spite of what she said. As well known as ASU has become,it would seem that the word has already gotten around due to news outlets and professional journals.

[appgrouch]

I don't understand the need for a search firm in spite of what she said. As well known as ASU has become,it would seem that the word has already gotten around due to news outlets and professional journals.

Look at what happened at Rutgers with their AD search. We need a firm that will go through and vet all the possible applicants to see if they meet the qualifications and have any disqualifying issues that would not be in a resume and their former/current employers cannot disclose.

Will we have plenty of candidates, Yes.
Will the candidates meet the qualifications set by the committee, Many Will.
Will the candidates be the quality of people that we would consider at the "APP State" standard, Not Many.

[moehler]

whoever they hire, I hope he/she share the same goals and agenda as Peacock, we don't need a Chancellor who would undermine all the work Peacock has done in the last 10 years. Just look at James Madison, the Chancellor hired a year ago, really doesn't seem to believe in athletics and has attempted to slow down the growth. Pretty much taken the opposite view of the Chancellor before him, now they seem to be really lost to what direction the athletic dept is going, and the fans seem really frustrated.

[Gonzo]

Hiring an athletics-friendly chancellor is crucial. I hope certain members of the faculty don't have any say in the decision.

[AppinVA]

whoever they hire, I hope he/she share the same goals and agenda as Peacock, we don't need a Chancellor who would undermine all the work Peacock has done in the last 10 years. Just look at James Madison, the Chancellor hired a year ago, really doesn't seem to believe in athletics and has attempted to slow down the growth. Pretty much taken the opposite view of the Chancellor before him, now they seem to be really lost to what direction the athletic dept is going, and the fans seem really frustrated.

I don't think the chancellor before this present one was friendly to athletics. The one before, before, maybe.

[GoApps70]

This is a vital hire for Appalachian.
JMU is a total disaster with their new president not caring or wanting athletics for JMU.
New Mexico State just hired a new president who is determined to take them from FBS back
to FCS or below.
Georgia Southern had an AD, not even their president, who kept them down for years In athletic
facility improvements because he was unable to help raise money and their president went along
with it.
Our new chancellor can make or break our whole university. Athletics can thrive and enrich
our school or we could hire someone who hates athletics, or is unwilling to help raise the money to
continue with academic and athletic improvements.

[wataugan03]

For all the negative things we might want to say about Borkowski, a lot of things went right during his tenure. The Time College of the Year thing in 2001 was huge. We got money for tons of new buildings and to renovate old buildings. The SAT scores of our entering classes shot up dramatically during his tenure. 1993 to 2003 was a really good run for us. Compare that 2003 to 2013. Construction slowed down. We watched the faculty give the provost and vice-provost votes of no-confidence. We're getting bad press in the Chronicles of Higher Education. The SAT scores of the entering classes have stagnated. That's not meant to demean anybody, a lot of this is the result of wider economic and societal trends. But, I do think we get blinded by charisma and attention. I liked having a chancellor who pumps up the crowd and let's everyone hold our trophies, but what really counts is the behind the scenes lobbying, administrative efficiency, and creating an atmosphere where everyone on campus is excited about working together.

[Saint3333]

What???

SAT scores are up 75 points from 2003, many new building have been built, and App has raised more money during Peacocks nine years thus far than any other period. Added the college of health sciences, built a much needed education building.

All this during includes the worst economic times from 2008-today since the Great Depression and as the Nc system slashes App's already tight budget.

Peacock has done a heck of a job in ALL facets on our university.

[AtlAppMan]

This is one of the biggest hires in the University's history. Anytime you hire a new Chancellor it is big. I expect the committee to use every reasonable asset available to them, including the use of an outside search firm. This is just a best practice. Also, like any big corporation, when you have the time to methodically work through process you take it to get it right. Dr. Peacock has provided sufficient advance notice to allow the committee get it right. I am actually surprised that the cost for hiring a big time CEO/Chancellor is not higher. Many large public companies spend more than this for an executive hire.

Let's just work our way through the process and hire the right person, one who will achieve both academic and athletic goals.

[GreatAppSt]

Like KP is there anyone at/from App that could qualify as a candidate?

[moehler]

I agree that Borowski has gotten a bad rap thru the years since he stepped down. He was without a doubt, the best Chancellor we have ever had in terms of fundraising. He was so good at getting more money from the state, that the Chancellor of UNC considered us a threat to take funding from them. He also took academics to a level we have never been to before. But, he was openly against Athletics, he believed that a school should be judged by what they do in the class room and not on the playing field. We saw some of the worst funding for athletics during his tenor.

[wataugan03]

My understanding is that they peaked in 2008, am I wrong about that? And yes, the health sciences and education building are great, but construction has slowed. As I said, I'm not saying this to demean any particular chancellor, dean, or anyone else. A lot of luck (like the recession) goes into all of this, even really troubling things like the no-confidence vote. In my mind the most important thing is finding someone who can fix the rift between faculty and administration, raise our reputation , and get more money for academic programs as the state continues to cut funding. I'm content leaving athletics to the AD, and I don't really care how much the next chancellor cares about athletics. We have bigger problems to deal with.

[Yosef84]

The advancements and improvements made since 2003 are all the more remarkable because they come on TOP of those made previously. A president who comes in when there is a huge pent up demand and no history of growth has a fairly easy job because there is a ton of "low hanging fruit." Once that fruit is picked, sustaining the growth is much more difficult.

Peacock has done a tremendous job as Chancellor. I agree that this hire will be HUGE for the university in many way (not just athletics).

[TheMoody1]

I don't really care how much the next chancellor cares about athletics.

I hope you are not on the search committee.

[T-Dog]

SAT scores can only go up so much. Can't put too much stock into that nowadays since it's going up everywhere. One area that improvement could use some imporvement is the four-year graduation rate.

For those who think the chancellor has little effect on athletics, you are badly mistaken. If the chancellor doesn't maintain the front porch, then less people will want to come into the house.

One area I would like a new chancellor to be proactive in is the pursuit of getting App State more professional degrees and one day become a doctorate-level university. Also, they should embrace the programs that the school is historically known for (teaching, alternative energy, etc).

[Saint3333]

100% agree T-Dog.

[moehler]

Personally, I don't put much stock in the opinions of the factality, yes, they should have a voice in how the university is run, but at the end of the day, they are employees of the University, and if they don't like the way its run, or the direction its heading, Im sure there are other job opportunities at other schools.

[JCline0429]

SAT scores can only go up so much. Can't put too much stock into that nowadays since it's going up everywhere. One area that improvement could use some imporvement is the four-year graduation rate.

For those who think the chancellor has little effect on athletics, you are badly mistaken. If the chancellor doesn't maintain the front porch, then less people will want to come into the house.

One area I would like a new chancellor to be proactive in is the pursuit of getting App State more professional degrees and one day become a doctorate-level university. Also, they should embrace the programs that the school is historically known for (teaching, alternative energy, etc).

The four year graduation rate is not an end-all tell-all. There are many reasons for a student not graduating in four years. I, myself, just barely made it in four years partly because I had to drop out temporarily in order to earn some money to continue paying tuition and expenses. One of the girls who helped with our civic club's concessions owes nearly 80,000 dollars in student loans from attending UNC-W for only two and a half years or so.