Search for DePauw's Nineteenth President Enters Final Phase
February 8, 2008
February 8, 2008, Greencastle, Ind. - "It's been an exhilarating and inspiring week on the DePauw campus," says Sarah Reese Wallace, chair of the committee searching for the University's nineteenth president, which welcomed the two finalists for the job to Greencastle this week. Michael Fischer, vice president for academic affairs and dean of the faculty at Trinity University in San Antonio, Texas, spent Tuesday interacting with members of the campus community, while today brought Brian W. Casey, associate dean for academic affairs in the Faculty of Arts and Sciences at Harvard University, Cambridge, Massachusetts, to campus for a similar schedule of sessions.
"I was delighted to see that so many people -- students, faculty and staff, alumni and community leaders -- availed themselves of the opportunities to meet Drs. Fischer and 
Casey," adds Wallace, a 1976 graduate of DePauw. "Both candidates were asked thought-provoking questions and had the chance to interact with many of our stakeholders, which is extremely important to this process." (at right: Dr. Fischer during his campus visit)
The chair continues, "After a series of interviews, the committee wanted to see how these two individuals fared in what amounted to very intensive visits which demanded a lot of energy. Drs. Casey and Fischer literally went from one meeting to the next -- some with small groups, some in auditoriums -- and I sensed that they both connected well with their DePauw audiences."
If you attended this week's sessions, your feedback would be appreciated. You can share your observations and thoughts via e-mail at presidentialsearch@depauw.edu or
this anonymous candidate feedback form.
Wallace's committee of 17 individuals (which includes nine other Trustees, four faculty members, two students and one administrator) now enters the final phase of its work. In the next few weeks, the group will come together to discuss and distill all of the information that has been collected about the two finalists and make a recommendation to the Board of Trustees about who the next president of DePauw should be. The Trustees will then take a vote and a final announcement will be made. (at left: Dr. Casey speaking to students at Kresge Auditorium this afternoon)
Robert G. Bottoms, who has led the University since 1986, announced last April that he will be stepping down from the post and becoming Chancellor of the University following the 2007-08 academic year. He is the longest-serving president in DePauw's 171-year history.
Learn more about the work of the presidential search committee at this Web site.
(photos of two finalists by Alex Turco)
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