On Tuesday, the Youngstown State University Provost Search Committee met for the first time. The committee will spearhead the provost search with Myers-Mcrae, Executive Search and Consulting.
Chet Cooper, chair of the search committee, said that the committee was formed prior to President Randy Dunn’s resignation on Feb. 17.
The search for Provost Ikram Khawaja’s replacement will run alongside the search for a new YSU president.
“Both search firms know each other. The search firm for the provost firm and [AGB Search, presidential search firm]— it turns out that the two principals of those two groups know one another very well, which is a big plus, so they’re in close communication,” Cooper said.
Cooper said that an important aspect of the parallel searches will be that a new president is in place to help choose the new provost.
“Therefore, the timing of both the presidential search and the provost search will be such that the provost search will lag slightly behind the presidential search in bringing candidates to campus,” he said. “Whoever is chosen as president will have time to be in on the final selection process of the provost.”
Cooper also said that it is important for the provost to know who the president is.
“The provost typically would be a bit apprehensive taking a position without knowing who the president was, so the decision was made to do it in such this manner that the president will be here just prior to the provost being chosen,” he said.
The search committee is made up of Chet Cooper, professor of biological sciences; Jonelle Beatrice, executive director of student life; Catie Carney, president of the YSU Student Government Association; Michael Chang, graduate student; Mary Lou DiPillo, associate dean of Beeghly College of Education; Suzyn Schwebel Epstein, an independent non-profit organizational development volunteer; Michael Glonek, YSU-APAS president; Sylvia Imler, interim director for diversity and multicultural affairs; Scott Irelan, associate professor and chair of theater and dance; Cryshanna Leftwich Jackson, associate professor of political science; Joseph Mosca, dean of Bitonte College of Health and Human Services; Millie Rodriguez, director of distance education; David Stout, professor and Andrews Chair in Accounting; Dan Suchora, extended teaching service faculty of mechanical and industrial engineering; and Gary Swegan, associate vice president for enrollment planning and management.
