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Provost search yields four candidates By Amber Fossen Ashland Daily Tidings Southern Oregon University has narrowed its search for provost down to four candidates. The Provost Search Committee reviewed 116 applicants beginning in October before screening the list to 11 semi-finalists for telephone interviews. After committee consideration, four individuals were selected for campus visits which begin this week and last through April. Ed Battistella, Dean of the School of Arts and Letters in addition to head of the search committee, said finding the right person is essential. "They (applicants) have to be someone who's in line with the mission and vision of the institution," Battistella said. "Those are the sort of people we've tried to narrow it down to. We see these people as all having that kind of background." The SOU provost and vice president for academic affairs provides overall leadership for the university's academic programs and services. The provost is responsible for academic planning and budgeting, academic policies, resource development, and stewardship for achievement of the university's mission and vision as a public liberal arts and science university. The 14-member committee conducted 45-minute telephone interviews and checked background experience before deciding on Elise B. Jorgens, Mary Cullinan, Barbara Hetrick and Earl H. Potter. "There was a strong committee consensus that those four stood above the rest," Battistella said. Jorgens - visiting the campus today and Friday with a campus presentation at 2 p.m., Friday in the Center for Visual Arts Meese Auditorium located on the SOU campus - is the interim provost and Dean of the College of Arts and Sciences at Western Michigan University. She has also served as director of graduate studies in English and associate dean of the college. She has a Ph.D. in Musicology from City University of New York and a B.A. in English Literature from Carleton College located in Minnesota. Cullinan - visiting the campus March 17 and March 18 with a campus presentation at 2 p.m., Tuesday March 18 in the CVA Meese Auditorium - is the Dean of College of Arts, Letters and Sciences and professor of English at California State University, Stanislaus. She spent 15 years at Cal-State, Hayward in faculty and administrative roles. Cullinan has a Ph.D. and M.A. in English Literature from the University of Wisconsin and a B.A. from the University of Pennsylvania. Hetrick - visiting the campus April 7 and April 8 with a campus presentation at 2 p.m., Tuesday April 8 in the CVA Meese Auditorium - is the immediate past Vice President for Academic Affairs and currently professor of sociology and anthropology at the College of Wooster in Ohio. She was also vice president at Hood College, located in Maryland, for 10 years. Hetrick has a Ph.D. and M.A. in Sociology from the University of Maryland and B.A. from McDaniel College, located in Maryland. Potter - visiting the campus April 10 and April 11 with a campus presentation at 2 p.m., Friday April 11 in the CVA Meese Auditorium - is the dean and professor of the College of Business at Eastern Michigan University. Prior to this, Potter served as dean at Lesley University, located in Massachusetts, and in administrative posts at Cornell University, located in New York. He has a Ph.D. in Organization Psychology, a M.S. in Psychology from University of Washington and a B.A. from Williams College, located in Massachusetts. According to Battistella, the campus community will be able to question candidates at campus presentations. However, the final decision for the Provost seat will be left to SOU President Elisabeth Zinser. LINKS: DAILY TIDINGS: Main | News | Sports | Business | Obituaries | Opinion | Columnists | AP News | Subscribe | Archives | Weather | Classifieds | Contact Us | Privacy REVELS: Main | Calendar | Dining | Movies | T.V. OTHER: Road Cams Copyright 2003 Ashland Daily Tidings 541.482.3456. 1661 Siskiyou Blvd., Ashland, OR 97520. Ottaway Newspapers, Inc. - Advertisers -