Ferris is on the hunt for a new Provost and Vice President of Academic Affairs, and in the past few weeks, the community has had a chance to get to know the candidates better.
All five candidates had two open forums on the first day of their visit, in order to answer any questions that might be had, and meet some of the faculty, staff and students.
First to visit campus was Dr. Karl Kunkel.
“After serving as Dean of the College of Arts and Sciences at Pittsburg State University for almost four years, I now am looking for a position where I can make larger-scale leadership contributions to a university,” said Dr. Kunkel.
“Ferris has an outstanding foundation with many, many excellent programs and initiatives already in place. My hope is to continue and expand this strong momentum and I see all of the necessary pieces in place for this to happen, which is very exciting.”
Dr. Kunkel said that his primary goal would be to preserve the high quality education that Ferris is presently providing, and also to: “enhance student success in progress towards degree, graduation, and finding jobs in lucrative and meaningful careers.”
Dr. Michael Stevenson had the next campus visit. Dr. Stevenson currently serves as the Senior Fellow for Academic Affairs at the University of Maine System
“Based on what I know now, I expect that our goals will include implementing strategies to reduce student debt, deepening collaborations between Ferris and other educational, philanthropic, and for-profit enterprises, continuing to attract and nurture talented and diverse faculty who can leverage academic technology and use the community as an extension of the classroom, implementing and assessing a strategic enrollment management plan, increasing students’ participation in experimential learning opportunities, and implementing best practices in student support, advising, and retention that will ensure students’ progress toward graduation,” said Dr. Stevenson.
“I am eager to become an important part of President Eisler’s senior administrative team so that I can work closely with the Ferris community to move academic affairs toward ambitious goals that will further distinguish its future. I am also looking forward to contributing to the success of Ferris’ faculty, students, and alumni, becoming a leader in the community and to making Michigan my home,” said Dr. Stevenson. “Ferris feels like a place I could call home for a long time.”
Next up was Dr. Michael Licari.
Dr. Licari was featured in last week’s paper, which is available to view at https://fsutorch.com/2015/02/04/provost-search-continues/.
The final two candidates are Dr. Jacqueline El-Sayed and Dr. Elizabeth Throop, who will be featured in next week’s edition of The Torch.