In The News

January 30, 2003

Committee begins search for new commandant

By William Knox
Norwich Guidon Managing Editor

The committee responsible for nominating candidates for the position of commandant and vice president for student affairs at Norwich University began its work of sifting through applications from around the country on Jan. 17.

The 11-member committee was chosen to represent most of the constituent groups that make up the Norwich family, according to David Whaley, vice president of institutional advancement at Norwich and chair of the search committee.

The committee members are: Keith Barrett, Trustee, Norwich University; Col. Anthony Carbone, USA (Ret.), NU '58, and former commandant; Col. Tim Van Splunder, USAF ROTC Norwich University; Tony Mariano, Director of Athletics; Martha Mathis, Dean, Student Life; Reina Pennington, Professor, Social Sciences Division; David Whaley; Iva Zoretic, NU Class of 2004; Brad Clark, NU Class of 2003; Cadet Matthew Wignall, NU Class of 2003; and Cadet Nancy Gutierrez, NU Class of 2004.

Three members of the committee, Barrett, Pennington, and Whaley, were members of the committee two years ago that hired Col. Mike McKean, who resigned at the request of University President Richard Schneider in November of last year.

Advertising for the position began in December of 2002 and by Jan. 17 the committee had received approximately 65 applications from around the country, according to Whaley.

"There is no closing date, per se, for applications," Whaley said. "We also encouraged alums and others who read about the opening to network. As you can expect, many alums saw the advertisement, and the spider web went out from there."

During the first meeting, Whaley said the committee was introduced to each other and to the process by which they would select candidates. Before leaving that night, the committee had reviewed approximately 45 of the resumes.

"The committee understood the process that we're going to use to evaluate people," Whaley said. "We laid out a system for them to do that. I won't say it's slow going, but they are being prudent, careful, and deliberate in their discussions and their evaluations."

The committee will meet three times during the first four weeks of the spring semester, Whaley said, after which they will have selected "no fewer than four, no greater than six" candidates in accordance with the president's directive, to come to Northfield and interview for the position.

"We could begin interviewing candidates by mid to late February," Whaley said. "The president has not decided yet how, once the people are on campus, the interview process will be carried out. I anticipate that there will be some student interaction."

The president identified to the committee four areas in which to focus when evaluating the candidates, according to Whaley.

1. The educational experience the individual brought to the job.
2. Leadership defined by positions held by the individual in the past.
3. Breadth of professional experience.
4. Skills as a student administrator at management, supervision, and teambuilding.

"The first three are much easier to judge from a resume than the last one," Whaley said. "From their career and what they've done, you get an idea of whether they've been in leadership positions. Do they have the breadth of experience we're looking for?"

In a letter to Norwich faculty, staff, and alumni, the president also indicated that he considered the hiring of competent personnel a "crucial investment" for the university.

"The people coming on board must be able to work with our faculty and staff," Schneider said. "They must be enthusiastic about our mission and willing to do their best to provide our students with an experience they will benefit from for years to come."

In his message, Schneider emphasized the importance of the students in the search.

"Our students, the young men and women we are educating and preparing to become moral, patriotic, efficient and useful citizens, are the reason we are here," Schneider said. "Candidates selected by the search committee will need to be ready for that challenge. They will also need to demonstrate their ability and desire to inspire students. These individuals will serve as role models, mentors and leaders. Through their actions and by establishing positive relationships on campus, they will inspire our students to make the most of the unique experiences and opportunities Norwich has to offer them."

Whaley said that there would be many questions the candidates would have to answer once they had been brought to campus for an interview.

"Some of this we really won't be able to determine until we can meet a person face-to-face," Whaley said. "Have you really mentored? How would you mentor? You ask them those types of questions and see how they react to a situation or a given idea. Are they inspirational when they first meet someone? Are they going to inspire students to follow them?"

Whaley provided an idea for what kind of person the committee hopes to find for the position.

"A successful candidate is going to have to make sure there is balance in a student's life, whether they're a cadet or a civilian student, between their academics, the corps experience, or athletics," Whaley said. "We're looking for someone who will be an advocate and have an understanding of both lifestyles. Someone of integrity."

An understanding of how athletics interacts with the student's life in the corps and with the civilian students and the time commitments that people make was an additional qualification, according to Whaley.

In comparison to the selection process that brought McKean to Norwich, Whaley said that the current search was very similar, with two important differences.

"The first difference is more significant than the second," Whaley said. "Most importantly is the timing. The last time it was May before the committee got together. It was into June and July before we got into identifying interview candidates. This time, if we get through the six and don't think it's a good fit, it will only be the end of March, which will leave us enough time to start the process again, go back to what we had."

With time to spare, the committee can restart the process, according to Whaley, and try to find the right fit a second time.

"We have time to start again and still have someone here by the start of the school year," Whaley said. "Ideally we would have identified the person and accepted the job by the end of this school year so that person could see and interact with next year's leadership."

This difference is what Whaley indicated as having the greatest potential for avoiding past mistakes.

"We can go further if we have to," Whaley said. "The last search, we didn't have that luxury. It was late in the year and we felt it was important to have someone onboard to start the school year."

The other major change, according to Whaley, is the number of candidates who will be brought to campus to interview.

"We only brought three candidates to campus," Whaley said. "Those are the only ones we interviewed. This time, we're going to interview six, and we will recommend to the president no less than two, no more than three."

One thing that has been considered and rejected by the president, according to Whaley, is the possibility of changing the nature of the office of commandant and VP for student affairs.

"The president looked at it," Whaley said. "I think in his opinion the structure is the right thing. We've just got to find the right person."

In the end, Whaley indicated he was hopeful that the committee would accomplish the task set before them by the president.

"I'm optimistic," Whaley said. "We will find the right candidate for Norwich."

Back to Guidon index

Committee begins search for new commandant

Racial harassment persists on campus

New NU attendance policy poses problems for athletes

Men's basketball team enriches community's youth

Internet service upgrade doubles bandwidth on Norwich campus

Criminal justice group provides educational trip for NU students

Men's hockey team hits midway season unblemished

NU baseball team gears up for another season

Young NU wrestling team strives for excellence

NU women's basketball improves as season progresses

NU hosts Vermont College Alcohol Network seminar

Reading Group helps children enjoy learning

Youth Center offers place to do homework, enjoy entertainment