Finalists Announced

ASU System President Charles Welch announced Thursday the three finalist applicants for the chancellor search.

The finalists are:

• Dr. John M. Beehler, Founding Provost and Vice President for Academic Excellence and Student Success at the University of North Texas at Dallas
• Dr. Soraya M. Coley, Provost/Vice President for Academic Affairs and Interim Vice President for University Advancement at California State University – Bakersfield
• Dr. Tim Hudson, Vice Chancellor of the Texas Tech University System

"I am extremely pleased with the quality of these three finalists," Welch said in a press release. "Each of these individuals has a stellar record of providing strong leadership at prestigious institutions of higher education"

Candidates were chosen from a pool of 29 applicants, but only 27 were left for consideration when Welch made his decision.

Interim Chancellor G. Daniel Howard, as of July 1, 2010, decided to bow out of the search as an applicant on Wednesday.

Howard was the first to apply on Oct. 16 and called Welch on Wednesday to say that after considerable thought he felt it was best for him and the university to return to his position as executive vice chancellor and provost, which his contract allows. He will remain interim chancellor until the new chancellor is selected.

 "Dan Howard has the experience and knowledge necessary for the position, but now this removes one person from consideration for the job," said Welch.

Currently the interim chancellor position is being paid $230,727, which may have to be supplemented with private funding to attract an out-of-state applicant.

Ultimately, Welch will make the decision on who is chosen for the chancellor position, but he created the Chancellor Search Advisory Committee to aid him in the search.

In the past, ASU brought in expensive consultants for the process of hiring a new official. However, Welch created the 20-person committee comprised of faculty, staff, students and Jonesboro civic leaders to have a well-rounded recommendation.

"A big concern of faculty throughout this process is that Welch would just pick a good ol' boy to fill the position because it was not uncommon among the past ASU officials to do that," said Jack Zibluk, faculty senate president.

"Welch went above and beyond to break this cycle and to bring in someone that is truly fit for the job."

The committee met yesterday via conference call and made their official recommendation to Welch. He spent the rest of the evening making phone calls to the applicants and making his final decision.

Welch said he was pleased with the efforts of the committee, and that each member provided thoughtful feedback.

"I was delighted that we were able to move the process along this quickly," Welch said.

The three finalist applicants will be invited to Jonesboro for a dinner, meetings, community tour and interviews within the next couple of weeks. Even though the three have been chosen, applications are still being accepted. Welch said that if a new application is considered, it would have to be a very strong individual.

Hunter Petrus, student government association president and Sharnea Diggs, a masters of public administration graduate student, serve on the committee as the students' voice.

"We have made a real effort to help pick a chancellor to be a great role model that will interact with student's well," said Petrus. "We want ASU to be an institution that will continue to benefit students."

Welch said the position should be filled before the end of February.

BIOGRAPHIES:

Dr. John M. Beehler

Dr. Beehler has served as Founding Provost and Vice President for Academic Excellence and Student Success at the University of North Texas at Dallas since 2010.  He previously served as Deputy Vice Chancellor and Provost Designate on that campus.  From 2007-2010, Dr. Beehler served as Associate Provost for Economic Initiatives and Dean of the Haile/U.S. Bank College of Business at Northern Kentucky University, and from 2000-2007 he served as  Dean of the W. Frank Barton School of Business at Wichita State University.

A certified public accountant, Dr. Beehler received the Bachelor of Science degree in accounting from The Pennsylvania State University, the Master of Business Administration degree in finance and taxation from Indiana University, and the Doctor of Philosophy degree in accounting, with a minor in law, from the Indiana University and Indiana University School of Law.