Presidential search committee formed

By Jane Jankowski

July 1.

“This group will identify and bring to the board the most outstanding and qualified candidates for the presidency of IU,” said Frederick Eichhorn Jr., board president. “This is a diverse group with individuals who are dedicated to finding the best leader for the university. The task of searching for a new president is one of the most important responsibilities the board faces, and a search committee is vital in assisting us with selecting the right individual.”

IU President Myles Brand announced on Oct. 10 that he would leave his post on Dec. 31 to become president of the National Collegiate Athletic Association.

The presidential search committee is composed of two trustees, three Blooming-ton faculty members, two IUPUI faculty members, one regional campus faculty member, one student, one staff member, one chancellor, one alumni representative, one dean and four public members. Eichhorn will serve as an ex-officio member. Eichhorn selected committee members based on many nominations received from the university community. Committee members, in addition to Ferguson, are: IU Trustee Sue Talbot; Robert Eno, co-chair of the University Faculty Council and IU Bloomington associate professor of East Asian languages and cultures; John McCluskey, IUB professor of African American and African Diaspora studies; George Kuh, IUB Chancellor’s Professor of education; Dr. Ora Pescovitz, IUPUI Edwin Letzter professor of pediatrics, professor of cellular and integrative physiology, and executive associate dean for research affairs at the School of Medicine; Marianne Wokeck, IUPUI associate professor of history; Chris Bjornson, IU Southeast associate professor of business administration; Ruth Person, chancellor of IU Kokomo; Blair Greenberg, an IU Bloomington junior majoring in business who serves as treasurer of the IU Student Association; Katherine English, senior administrative secretary, IUPUI School of Dentistry; Kumble Subbaswamy, dean of the College of Arts and Sciences and IUB professor of physics; Ken Beckley, president and chief executive officer of the IU Alumni Association; Sarah Evans Barker, judge of the U.S. District Court, Southern District of Indiana and member of IU School of Law Board of Visitors; Donald Danielson, vice chairman, City Securities Corp. in Indianapolis, and member of the board of directors of the IU Foundation; Scott Jones, president of Escient Technologies in Indianapolis, and chair of the IU Information Technology Advisory Council; and August Watanabe, executive vice president for science and technology, Eli Lilly and Company in Indianapolis, and co-chair of the campaigns for the School of Medicine and the Herron School of Art.

Ferguson has been a member of the board since 1998. His current term expires in 2004. He is executive vice president of Cook Group Inc.

The search committee will begin its work on or before Dec. 1. It also is authorized to employ an executive search firm to assist with recruitment and consideration of candidates, but no such firm has been selected.