The University of Toledo's next president almost certainly will be an outsider.
No candidate with clear ties to the university is among the 11 who made the first cut yesterday when the UT presidential search committee narrowed the list from 46 during a four-hour meeting.
Three former UT administrators were part of the original applicant pool; no current employees applied for the job. “It was my impression that the committee is very comfortable with the qualities and qualifications of these candidates,” said Joan Uhl Browne, a member of the UT board of trustees who is chair of the committee.
The committee's short list includes three sitting presidents. They are:
One candidate each from Ohio and Michigan colleges made the cut.
Dr. Richard Davenport is provost and senior vice president for academic and student affairs at Central Michigan University in Mount Pleasant. Dr. Perry Mooreis provost at Wright State University in Dayton. The other candidates who remain under consideration are:
Committee members took into consideration experience, academic credentials, and whether a candidate was from a comparable institution. Connections to UT or to its athletic league, the Mid-American Conference, were not taken into account, according to Ms. Browne.
The university is seeking a permanent successor to its 14th president, Vik Kapoor, who resigned in June after 17 months in office. Before being named president, Dr. Kapoor was dean of the UT college of engineering.
Applications for the position will continue to be accepted, though Ms. Browne said she is not anticipating any.
The committee discussed reference-checking techniques and agreed to meet Feb. 6 for another opportunity to trim the list based on the checks, which will be conducted by committee members.
Two-hour interviews on campus for the remaining candidates will begin Feb. 23.
The committee hopes to invite three to five finalists to campus in March, Ms. Browne said.