The chancellor search committee will hold a series of open forums Aug. 26 and 27 for students, faculty, staff and the general public.  

This committee, along with a professional firm, is charged with conducting the search for a new chancellor to take over after the resignation of James Oblinger in June. Chancellor James Woodward will continue to serve as chancellor on an interim basis until a new person is selected.  

The open forums will serve as a chance for the committee members to receive input from the various groups in the University about what they are looking for in a new chancellor, according to Bob Jordan, chair of the search committee and Board of Trustees member.  

“These are listening sessions,” Jordan said. “We really encourage people to come to the public forums.”  

If all goes as planned, Jordan said the process to select a new chancellor could take about five months. However, he said the new chancellor may not be able to take on the position until the start of the next academic year depending on that person’s previous post.  

“[Chancellor James Woodward] said he and his wife would love for this to be a short search, so he and his wife can get back to being retired,” Jordan said.  

Jordan said after the series of forums end Aug. 27, the committee will hold its second meeting and will draft a job description for the new chancellor shortly after.  

Each forum will be targeted at receiving input from one group, but Jordan said anyone can attend any of the forums and voice his or her opinion.  

Student Body President and search committee member Jim Ceresnak said he has his own expectations for a chancellor but is looking forward to the forums to hear what students have to say.  

“The most important job of my administration is to find out what students want in a new chancellor, and bring that feedback back to the new committee, so we can deliberate,” Ceresnak said.  

Ceresnak said that while he would like to see a chancellor who is student-focused, he understands that the job description of chancellor has developed into an external leader for the University.  

“The chancellor should be extremely visible and should have a keen interest in student affairs,” Ceresnak said. “However, we do have a vice chancellor for student affairs.”  

According to Ceresnak, the role of the new chancellor should be to raise the University’s national prestige, thereby increasing the value of graduates’ degrees.  

“We need a chancellor who will be a force in the world of academia,” he said.  

The chancellor search committee held its first meeting last week for the members to get to know one another and lay out expectations, Jordan said. At the meeting, the 18-member committee, composed of faculty, staff, students and Board of Trustees members, selected the professional firm that will be conducting the search, Baker and Associates.  

UNC-System President Erskine Bowles attended the meeting to express his expectations for a new University chancellor.

“What Erskine [Bowles] said was great,” Ceresnak said. “We do need to keep building momentum …and lead the state to economic recovery.”  

He said as a land-grant institution, that is the job of the University — to train tomorrow’s leaders to lead the state out of the recession. Ceresnak said that the University needs to hire someone who understand that mission and N.C. State’s role.  

Jordan said Bowles stressed the importance of not settling for second best.  

“We should be able to locate and can encourage the very best to come here,” Jordan said.  

The search for a new provost following the resignation of Larry Nielsen has not yet begun, Jordan said. Former dean of the College of Veterinary Medicine, Warwick Arden, will continue to serve as interim provost.  

And though it’s generally best for the new chancellor to have some input into who is selected as provost, Jordan said it may be difficult since both positions became vacant at about the same time.