The ASU Presidential search committee said the new ASU president should be a unifying leader when they met Tuesday to discuss the search for a replacement to current president Lattie Coor.
Coor has said he will retire at the end of this academic year.
The committee discussed a draft proposal of characteristics the new University administrator should possess. The new president will have to be a talented individual who has leadership qualities, strategic vision and recognizes the university’s role as a generator of economic activity for the state and community, according to committee search guidelines.
Bill Owen, a research consultant for the committee, said two sitting presidents of other universities have expressed interest in the position although he refused to disclose their identities. Owen said only after ASU and the applicants express mutual interest would candidates’ names be disclosed.
Coor cautioned the committee not to look for a duplicate of himself.
“It is important for ASU to continue on the same trajectory that it is now on,” Coor said. “I must admit that when I came to ASU, I did not have everything worked out.”
Things have changed over the 11 years since Coor took the helm, search committee chairman Don Ulrich said. “At the time that Lattie came here, there wasn’t much contact with the outside world, but during his tenure, this university has become known as an internationally recognized research community.”
The committee draft proposal also said candidates should have “an acknowledged record of promoting and achieving cultural diversity in both student body and faculty.”
Additionally, the new president will have to be “an administrator with the ability to create synergy among disparate stakeholders such as the community, public officials, contributors, business leaders and faculty.”
Elaine Maimon, ASU West provost, and Tessa Martinez Pollack, Glendale Community College president, have both said they will not apply for the position.
Reach Victor Allen at victordallen@cs.com.
