The Indiana University provost search and screen committee held its open forum for public comment on Wednesday. The bulk of commentary from faculty and staff focused on the provost’s ability to balance the dual roles of setting the intellectual tone for the campus while also having an eye on day-to-day operations.
IU law professor and committee chair Fred Cate says that 25 eligible candidates from across IU Bloomington have already been nominated, and that list will be narrowed down to as few as two candidates within the next week. He says the internal nature of the search means that in addition to candidates knowing a lot about IU, the committee will already know a lot about the candidates.
Cate says finalists will be interviewed by a wide range of campus groups. He says that currently the search committee is not planning to publish the names of the finalists. But he says that after being interviewed by dozens of people, candidates should not think of the process as confidential. However, Cate says that “don’t ask, do tell” policy may change after comments made at this week’s forum. Cate says that choosing the right person for such a broad position with huge expectations will be a nearly impossible task.
