ADMINISTRATION University Holds Forum, Encourages Student Input in New Provost Search By Kristen Wayne Hoya Staff Writer

University officials held an open forum for students to give input on the qualities the search committee should look for in the selection of the new university provost.

The committee’s selection will replace current Provost Dorothy Brown when she steps down at the end of the academic year. Provost Search Committee Chair and Biology Professor Joseph Neale led the discussion and listed the qualities the committee currently believes a serious candidate should possess.

“[The provost] must be seriously intellectually prepared to handle the job,” Neale said.

He added that an ability to deal with people is also key because the provost must constantly interact with the president, deans, and others.

Also important is that the chosen candidate “really understand what it means to be at this Jesuit and Catholic university,” Neale said.

He elaborated that these two qualifications go hand-in-hand, and that firsthand experience with undergraduate teaching and scholarship aids the management of an institution.

“I think next to the president, it is perhaps the most difficult job in the university,” Neale said of the position. “It’s a task I wouldn’t even consider – it’s way too much work for me.”

Strong administrative skills are also important, according to Neale, who noted that the Main Campus is becoming increasingly complex.

An ability to relate to the city and an understanding of Georgetown’s relationship with Washington is another important quality the committee is looking for in Georgetown’s future provost, especially because so many Georgetown undergraduates do community service in D.C.

The responsibilities of a provost are extensive, Neale said, which include managing the $230 million annual university budget, overseeing the undergraduate schools, dealing with students and faculty, overseeing enrollment and all university building projects.

Neale also responded to student questions and suggestions.

GUSA Representative Trey Street (SFS ’03) advised looking for a provost, “who looks to expand and strengthen the graduate programs,” at Georgetown.

Neale said there is no religious requirement for the provost, but that an important requirement is that a candidate understands and respects what it means to be Catholic and Jesuit, and that they currently have applicants from a variety of faiths.

The committee prefers bringing in a candidate from an institution outside Georgetown, but that if the most qualified candidate came from the university, that person wou-ld receive the job.

In terms of the actual process of choosing candidates, Neale said after reviewing applications, Georgetown will bring a number of candidates to an off-campus site for interviewing. The candidates will spend an hour with half of the committee, and a second hour with the other half. They will do background checks on the remaining candidates by calling faculty, students and chairs at their current universities and at institutions where they have worked in the past. Finally, the committee will send an unranked list of three to five candidates, along with the candidates’ files, to the university president.

Neale said that the committee is looking for a provost who will remain at the university a minimum of six years, with an optimum tenure of ten years.