Daily Skiff

Issue date: 3/6/08 Section: News

The College of Communication's search committee has narrowed it's dean search down to four candidates. From top left going clockwise: Maria Marron, Howard Sypher, Judy VanSlyke Turk and David Whillock. [Click to enlarge]

After six weeks of searching and interviewing, the College of Communication's dean-search committee has narrowed the field of more than 65 applicants down to four final candidates.

Provost Nowell Donovan announced Wednesday in an e-mail that the committee had selected Maria Marron of Central Michigan University, Howard Sypher of Purdue University, Judy VanSlyke Turk of Virginia Commonwealth University and David Whillock of TCU.

"I think we have four candidates who could actually become a successful dean at TCU," said John Tisdale, search committee chairman and associate professor of journalism. He said the committee would like to have a candidate chosen before the end of the school year.

Administrators began to assemble the search committee last fall after Dean William Slater announced his plan to retire May 31 after six years at TCU.

"I am retiring from the deanship, not the faculty," Slater said. "I will be returning to teach after a yearlong sabbatical."

Each of the four applicants has been invited to return to campus for individual open forums. During these forums, the candidates will present their ideas for the College of Communication and meet other faculty members.

In addition to faculty and administration from the College of Communication, the 13-person committee includes an alum and two current students.

After placing an ad in The Chronicle of Higher Education, the committee met in January to begin planning for the search and working with the consulting group, R. William Funk & Associates.

Candidates were eliminated through interviews and comparison of curriculum vitas, resumes containing extended information about candidates' training and backgrounds in higher education.

Tisdale said the committee rated the top-26 candidates by their vitas as "acceptable," "unacceptable" or "unsure" before limiting the search to six candidates, who were flown to Dallas/Fort Worth Airport last weekend for 90-minute interviews at an airport hotel.

"You get a sense of the person and how they handle themselves under pressure," Tisdale said. "It was an exceptionally difficult choice going from the six to the four."

Click on their names to view the candidates' vitas

Maria Marron, Howard Sypher, Judy VanSlyke Turk and David Whillock

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