2008 Woodie Awards
Pointing to a new president
Lindsay Bryant
Issue date: 1/23/08 Section: News
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Kassing is set to retire at the end of the 2008 spring semester.
Every meeting until the new candidates are announced in late April will be closed and confidential.
CSU Chancellor Charles Reed expressed how serious the selection process is to choose Kassing's successor.
"I said to myself: two things," Reed said. "I'm sad we are starting a search … and usually I am happy. The second thing I said is: we've got to find someone that is as good as (Kassing) is."
Several members on the selection committee and those in attendance used the phrase "the new president has big shoes to fill."
The search is open to anyone, Reed said, such as traditional academic candidates to people with nontraditional careers, including civic leaders or members of the community.
Reed and William Hauck, meeting moderator and Trustee Committee Chair, expressed that the search is to be held in confidence to protect the job security of the potential SJSU president.
The meeting was held to discuss the qualities the new SJSU president should have, the selection process and to detail the importance of keeping the search confidential.
The next formal meeting is scheduled for March 14, when the selection committee will bring a list of candidates to be considered and narrow the list to six to nine applicants.
The remaining candidates will go through a selection process of interviews by the advisory committee and trimmed to a list of three or four. Finally, those three or four people will be publicly introduced as candidates for the SJSU presidency around the end of April.
Most people in attendance were interested in the process of selecting SJSU's president, who is traditionally the most representative of the university and its role in the San Jose community, Silicon Valley businesses, donors, the press and even on a global level.
Matt Neff, a senior and student representative for the SJSU aviation department, said he came as an interested and curious student.
"We want to know what's going on in the future of our program and SJSU," Neff said.
Neff was one of three SJSU students at the one-hour long meeting at the Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Library on Monday morning.
ADVISORY COMMITTEE FOR THE SELECTION of the PRESIDENT:
Sonoma State President Ruben Armiñana; Nancy Day, CMS Project Senior Software Analyst, SJSU; Les Francis, community member; Benjamin Henderson, Associated Students president; SJSU professor of accounting and finance Annette Nellen; SJSU professor of political science Kenneth Peter; Patricia Smith, president of the SJSU Alumni Board; Judith Lessow-Hurley, chair of the SJSU Academic Senate; Fred Najjar, SJSU vice president of university advancement; and Don Lucas, chair of the Tower Foundation Board.
QUALITIES MENTIONED BY MEMBERS:
Outstanding leader, approachable, student friendly, has a clear vision, balance of academics, arts and athletics, cooperation between the city and the university, problem solver, strong mental toughness, great character, able to work with a unionized faculty, relationship with Silicon Valley companies, experience and stamina.
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