Eastern’s search for its first official associate vice president for academic affairs for technology, which intensifies today with the start of on-campus interviews, will not include one of the three original candidates chosen.

Frank Moore, III, dropped out due to personal reasons, said James Tidwell, search committee chair and journalism professor.

Moore, who currently serves as the assistant vice president of information technology at Longwood College in Farmville, Va., was scheduled to visit Eastern today.

“It was for personal reasons; it had nothing to do with the job itself,” Moore said. “The position, I was very interested in, but right now I can’t make the move with an ill family member.”

Consequently, the search committee replaced Moore with Glenn S. Everett, of the University of Tennessee-Martin. Everett currently serves as the director of the Instructional Technology Center at Tennessee-Martin.

Today, Eastern’s faculty members have an opportunity to participate in the selection of an administrator who will play a large role in deciding how technology will be implemented into their classrooms.

Moore said that the associate vice president for academic affairs for technology position is very similar to his current job. He said Longwood College has already made some of the technological improvements that Eastern is striving toward.

“After studying the Eastern Illinois University Web site and speaking with the search committee, I could see that Eastern Illinois is where we where five years ago and it’s also a larger institution.”

Moore said Eastern should select a candidate with not only technological experience, but also someone who has a background in teaching.

“I think it’s critical that the person has teaching experience and one year is not enough,” he said. “The position, as advertised by your institution, revolves around the academic side.”

Moore said the experience is vital because the candidate chosen cannot dictate technology without understanding what the teaching process is about.

He also named three general qualities that he would look for in filling a major position such as the associate vice president for academic affairs for technology.

First of all, that person needs to be a team player because someone who acts alone is “doomed for failure,” Moore said.

Good communication skills are also vital to the position. Moore said the job demands someone who can listen and communicate well.

Finally, he said the candidate chosen needs to be able to work with students, faculty and the administration.