The search for a permanent vice president for business affairs at Eastern will be coming to a close shortly after the campus interviews of five final candidates is complete.

Ebrahim Karbasioon, chair of the vice president for business affairs search committee and economics professor, previously said, “We want to make sure we receive feedback. The campus’ evaluation is important to the search committee’s decision.”

The finalists have extensive credentials and experience in all aspects of business affairs,” Karbasioon said.

After the campus interviews are complete, the search committee will make their recommendations to Eastern President Carol Surles, who will have the final decision.

Campus interviews will begin Thursday with Michael F. Renk, current vice president for administrative affairs at North Dakota State College of Science.

The four other final candidates will include Dennis J. Crudele (April 17), Jeffrey L. Cooley (April 19), Harry P. Schuckel (April 23), and David T. Simpson, (April 25).

Complete resumes of the final candidates are available at the reference desk of the library.

The position of vice president for business affairs has been vacant since September of 1999, when Morgan Olson left Eastern for a job at Southern Methodist University in Dallas, Texas. Jeff Cooley, then assistant vice president for business affairs, was appointed by Surles to fill the position in an interim capacity.

This is not the first attempt to permanently fill the position, and the requirements for the position have been changed since that attempt.

The first search committee was successful in bringing four applicants to campus for interviews in December of 1999. The on-campus interviews were completed, and recommendations were made by the search committee to Surles.

Surles refused to select an applicant to fill the position, saying at the time, “Although the search yielded qualified applicants, no strong consensus emerged for a particular candidate.”

The difference between this search and the previous unsuccessful one is that the educational requirement of the applicants has dropped from a master’s degree to a bachelor’s degree. However, the years of experience required has been raised.

Two of the current applicants do not possess a master’s degree; Jeff Cooley and Dennis J. Crudele.

Vicki Woodard, information system specialist in media relations, has said the president believes “experience is more fundamental to this job than a degree.”