Presidential Candidates to Visit Western

...candidates for President of Western, that is.

The Presidential Search Committee has announced four finalists. They are all scheduled to visit Western in April.

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WMU names four finalists for presidency

One sitting university leader, one interim university leader, a business college dean and the head of a university research institute are finalists for Western Michigan University's presidency.

The four candidates, all men from Midwestern universities, will be on campus over the next two weeks.

First up is John William Folkins, chief executive officer of the Bowling Green State University Research Institute in Ohio.

Folkins holds degrees, including a doctorate, from speech departments at more than one university.

There will be a public forum with Folkins from 5:15 to 6:30 p.m. Monday in the Bernhard Center ballroom on main campus.

He's expected to be in Kalamazoo Sunday through Tuesday, meeting with various groups on campus.

The other finalists are:

John Dunn, interim chancellor at Southern Illinois University, Carbondale.

Bruce Shepard, chancellor, University of Wisconsin-Green Bay

Avijit Ghosh, dean, College of Business, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign

Among the qualities WMU is looking for in a leader is one who can refocus the university's sense of mission, build undergraduate, graduate and international student enrollment, and increase state financial support of the institution.

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Four WMU president finalists

John Dunn

Job and institution: Interim chancellor, Southern Illinois University, Carbondale.

Age: 62.

Education: Bachelor's degree and master's degree in physical education, Northern Illinois University, 1967 and 1969, respectively; doctorate in physical education, Brigham Young University, 1972; post-doctoral work at Temple University, summer 1973.

Career: Physical-education professor at Oregon State University; assistant dean of research and graduate studies for Oregon State's College of Health and Human Performance; assistant provost at Oregon State; dean of University of Utah's College of Health; provost and vice chancellor at Southern Illinois since 2002.

Visit to WMU: April 8-10.

John Folkins

Job and institution: Chief executive officer, Bowling Green State University Research Institute.

Age: 59.

Education: Bachelor's degree and master's degree in speech, University of Redlands, 1970 and 1971, respectively; doctorate in speech and hearing sciences, University of Washington, 1976; post-doctoral research, Department of Orthodontics and Department of Physiology and Biophysics, University of Washington.

Career: Chairman of speech pathology department at University of Iowa; Iowa's associate provost for academic review and academic support services; Iowa's associate provost for undergraduate education; provost at Bowling Green from 2000-07; started as Bowling Green CEO in January.

Visit to WMU: Sunday-Tuesday; public forum is 5:15-6:30 p.m. Monday in the Western's Bernhard Center ballroom.

Avijit Ghosh

Job and institution: Dean, College of Business, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign.

Age: 56.

Education: Bachelor's degree in chemistry, University of Calcutta, 1970; graduate program in management and marketing, Xavier University in India, 1972-75; master's degree and doctorate in geography, University of Iowa, 1977 and 1979, respectively.

Career: Market research analyst for Clarion McCain Advertising Services; project director for Food Market Institute at Xavier Institute; assistant professor of marketing at University of Iowa; marketing professor at New York University; Illinois business dean since 2001.

Visit to WMU: April 12-14.

Bruce Shepard

Job and institution:

Chancellor, University of Wisconsin-Green Bay.

Age: N/A.

Education: Bachelor's degree, master's degree and doctorate in political science from University of California Riverside, 1969, 1970 and 1972, respectively.

Career: Assistant and then associate professor of political science, Oregon State University; special assistant to the provost, Oregon State; provost, Eastern Oregon University; chancellor at University of Wisconsin-Green Bay since 2001.

Visit to WMU: April 10-12.

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Kalamazoo County Treasurer Sharon Cubitt has retired abruptly due to the pending changes in retirement formulas.

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