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The search for a vice president for Student Life continued May 7, 9 and 11 as the three finalists chosen by the search committee were invited back to campus for interviews. A wide range of university administrators, faculty and students were present to evaluate the candidates. The university received more than 80 applications for the position.
The three candidates are Dr. Larry Lunsford, associate vice president for student affairs at Florida International University in Miami, Dr. James Conneely, vice president for student affairs at Eastern Kentucky University, and Dr. Michael Gilbert, assistant vice president of campus student services at Pennsylvania State University at University Park.
Lunsford has also worked in student affairs at Robert Morris College, the University of Pittsburgh and the University of Evansville.
Conneely has held positions at Emory University, Villanova University and the University of Northern Iowa. He worked in student affairs for 10 years at the University of Arkansas where he has also worked in housing and residence life.
Gilbert has worked at Northeastern University, North Carolina State University, the University of Wisconsin, Illinois State University and Michigan State University. He worked at the University of Massachusetts at Amherst from 1995 to 2005.
The vice president for student life reports to the provost and the vice president for academic affairs. He or she is also responsible for working with campus life, career services, counseling, health services, judicial affairs, multicultural programs, residence life, services for athletes and promoting student wellness.
Pierre Hayward, vice president and university secretary, is one of the members on the committee evaluating the candidates. He stated in an an e-mail message that advertisements for the position were placed in newspapers and magazines focusing on higher education such as The Chronicle of Higher Education, Black Issues in Higher Education, and Hispanic Outlook in Higher Education. Additionally, ads were placed in The News Journal and Delaware State News. The campus community was also asked to nominate any person they thought would be a good candidate.
Hayward said when choosing candidates from the applicants, the search committee looked for traits and qualifications like extensive experience leading student life departments at other institutions, the ability to establish collaborative partnerships between the various student life divisions and a demonstrated commitment to diversity issues.
"We are looking for someone who is comfortable, approachable and can develop a good rapport with students, faculty, staff and the Newark community," he said.
Conneely visited with students, staff and faculty May 9 in the Alumni Lounge in the Perkins Student Center.
He said if hired, he would enjoy interacting with the staff in the student affairs department more than they might expect. He said he wants to learn how the department is currently run, listen and come to an understanding about what works well and build relationships.
"I don't believe in change for change's sake," Conneely said. "It has to be deliberate. I want to relate change to what the vision is in student affairs. People need to understand why change is happening."
Conneely acknowledges that before making any changes, he would need to identify the political and cultural climate on campus. He said his goals for the university include creating a unified approach to serving students through dialogue as a way of establishing their expectations and finding out the needs and concerns of the students.
"I want Delaware to be a model for other institutions in the way we put the best interest of the students first, as opposed to what is more convenient," he said.
Sophomore Richard Goldschein, who attended all three question-and-answer sessions, said Gilbert thoroughly addressed the issue of keeping students engaged with the administration.
"The biggest issue is not just getting students to be involved," Goldschein said. "It's getting students to want to be involved."
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