Three Fort Lewis College presidential finalists to meet with faculty, staff, students, community

 

DURANGO – The three final candidates under consideration to become the ninth President of Fort Lewis College will meet with all of the college’s communities when they visit the campus and Durango during the weeks of February 22, 2010 and March 1, 2010, the Board of Trustees for Fort Lewis College announced today.

“We are pleased to present the presidential finalists and look forward to their upcoming visits,” said Richard Ballantine, chair of the Board of Trustees. “We think they are strong candidates and have the potential to provide exceptional leadership at Fort Lewis College as it meets the challenge and capitalizes on the opportunity the next decade offers.”

The finalists designated by the Board include, in alphabetical order:

Dr. Elizabeth S. Grobsmith, Provost and Vice President for Academic Affairs, Northern Arizona University in Flagstaff, Arizona. Dr. Grobsmith has served in her current position for eight years, having previously served as Dean of the College of Humanities, Arts and Social Sciences at Utah State University; Dean of Letters, Arts and Sciences at the University of Colorado at Colorado Springs; and a number of administrative positions at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln, where she also was a Professor of Anthropology. She received a doctorate in Anthropology from the University of Arizona.

 

Dr. Grobsmith will visit the campus on March 3-4.

 

Dr. Dene Kay Thomas, President, Lewis-Clark State College, Lewiston, Idaho. Dr. Thomas has served in her current position for nine years. Previously, she served as Vice Provost for Academic Affairs, Associate Dean, College of Letters and Science and Director of Writing in the Department of English at the University of Idaho, Moscow, Idaho. Dr. Thomas received her doctorate in English from the University of Minnesota.

 

Dr. Thomas will visit the campus March 1-2.

 

Dr. Kent M. Tingey, Vice President for Advancement, Idaho State University, Pocatello, Idaho. Dr. Tingey has served in his current position for 12 years. Previously, he was Director of University and Government Relations for Idaho State; executive assistant for U.S. Representative Wayne Owens of Idaho; Director of Public Relations for Dixie College, St. George, Utah; and assistant director of University Relations at Brigham Young University – Hawaii Campus, Laie, Hawaii.

 

Dr. Tingey will visit the campus February 24-25.

 

Schedules of the visits can be seen at www.fortlewis.edu/presidentialsearch, along with their complete curriculum vitae.

 

The board plans to make a decision by the end of March, after receiving comments from the all of the college’s communities following the candidates’ visits. The finalists were selected from candidates recommended by a ten-person Presidential Search Committee, with representatives from the faculty, students, staff, administration, Durango and the board.

 

“We screened 110 very qualified candidates from all over the country, as well as a couple of international candidates,” said Dr. Peter R. Decker, a trustee and chair of the committee. “The committee and the board were very impressed with the quality of the candidates who applied, which included a number of sitting presidents as well as candidates from outside the academy. Clearly, academic leaders from across the country are impressed with Fort Lewis College and want to participate in its future development.”

 

Dr. Decker emphasized that the Board of Trustees will place a great deal of importance on the comments it receives following the campus visits. He encouraged all faculty, students, staff, administrators and members of the Durango community to participate.

 

“My colleagues and I need to hear what the campus and community think of these candidates because we are hiring a new president at a critical time in the college’s history,” Dr. Decker said. “It’s essential for this new leader to have strong support.”

 

He encouraged students and faculty to contact their representatives on the board, Dr. Charles Riggs and Michelle Kinney, who will participate in the discussions. The Board of Trustees will also hold a special meeting on March 16, 2010 to hear public comment on the candidates from 9 a.m. to noon, in a location yet to be determined. Comments can be emailed directly to the board at [email protected]. Anonymous comments can be submitted at www.fortlewis.edu/presidentialsearch.