By: CHRISTINA CLARK
Editor-in-Chief
EditorPreface@gmail.com
On Feb. 1 the final four candidates for IU South Bend’s Chancellor position were announced in a release from the school. The four finalists for the position at this stage are Dwight C. Watson, Terisa C. Riley, Susan L. Elrod and Philip K. Way.
Watson visited campus on Feb. 4, and Riley followed with a visit beginning on Feb. 11. Elrod will be visiting IU South Bend on Feb. 14 and 15. Details for the events, including a faculty breakfast, student lunch as well as a campus and community reception will be released on Daily Titan.
“Each candidate was asked to give a presentation and to be available for questions while they were on campus, which was the primary opportunity to engage with them,” said Vicki Henderson, senior associate with Storbeck/Pimental & Associates, LP, who are currently heading the Chancellor search for the university.
“All of those who attended the meetings with the candidates were asked to share their comments. Those comments will be shared with the search committee as well as with President McRobbie and Executive Vice President Applegate as they continue to further vet the candidates,” Henderson said.
Dwight C. Watson currently is serving in his fourth year as Provost and Vice President of the Academic and Student Affairs at Southwest Minnesota State University.
According to his “Meet the Finalists” profile on the IU South Bend Office of the Executive President for University Academic Affairs’ website, in his current role Watson “provides leadership and management for the academic and student affairs enterprises at Southwest Minnesota State university.”
Watson has worked with “budgetary authority fundraising (raised over $250 million in federal, state, corporate and private funds), national and state governmental relations and advocacy…” among many other listings on the profile.
Prior to his current position, Watson was the former Dean of the College of Education at the University of Northern Iowa.
Terisa C. Riley is currently the Senior Vice President for Student Affairs and University Administration at Texas A&M University-Kingsville.
Riley is a “veteran administrator in higher education whose 25+ year career has spanned diverse administrative areas and teaching responsibilities,” according to the Meet the Finalists profile.
“Dr. Riley has collaborated with campus leaders and stakeholders to prepare and implement strategic plans which have led to double digit increases in enrollment, retention , and graduation rates as well as ten-year unconditional accreditation by Southern Association of Colleges and Schools (SACSCOC),” it reads.
Riley is a committed community member as well, having sat on School Boards and having served as President of the Kingsville Chamber of Commerce.
Chancellor candidate Susan L. Elrod currently serves at the University of Wisconsin-Whitewater as Provost and Executive Vice Chancellor for Academic Affairs.
“Elrod uses a shared leadership approach to implement the university’s strategic plan, including enrollment management and student success initiatives that have already resulted in record high retention and graduation rates,” reads her “Meet the Finalists” profile.
“Under Elrod’s executive sponsorship, UW-Whitewater is the first university in the Upper Midwest to implement a new mobile app geared towards increased recruitment, engagement and retention,” according to her profile.
The final of the four candidates is Philip K. Way, of Slippery Rock University of Pennsylvania. In his current position as Provost and Vice President for Academic and Student Affairs, his responsibilities “encompass strategic planning for the university and division; the management of personnel, information technology, space, and divisional financial resources,” according to his “Meet the Finalists” profile.
“Under Way’s leadership, the University has developed a new strategic plan, restructured the former division of academic and student affairs into a unified entity focused on student success, and developed 24 new academic programs,” her profile reads.
Way’s visit is scheduled for Feb. 18 and 19.
According to a release on Daily Titan by Ken Bairel, director of communications and marketing at IU South Bend, “Following the finalists’ visits on campus, the search committee will present their feedback to IU Executive Vice President John. S. Applegate and IU President Michael A. McRobbie, who will make the final selection subject to the approval of the IU Board of Trustees.”
