The first of four candidates for dean of the College of Educational and Professional Studies, Illinois State University’s associate dean for teacher education, technology and field services, said Wednesday “communications is the key to making progress.

“We need to get the story out and let people know what we’re trying to do so we can receive feedback for what people think we should do,” Barbara Livingston Nourie, who is also the College of Education’s university accreditation officer and a professor of curriculum and instruction at Illinois State, said.

Nourie came to campus Monday and Tuesday to interview for the position that Elizabeth Hitch is leaving to become provost and vice chancellor for academic affairs at the University of Wisconsin-Lacross on July 1.

Nourie said, “Eastern is poised to take a very definite leadership role throughout the nation,” and she hopes to be here contributing to the university when that happens.

“I have been at Illinois State since 1985, so I hear about the quality of Eastern,” she said, “and I was more than impressed with everything I saw while I was here.”

Soliciting funds and dealing with budget cuts is nothing new for Nourie. She said she has continuously worked to establish funding for various projects at Illinois State.

“I believe that campuses will cut less from teacher education because of the need for qualified teachers throughout the state, Nourie said. ” That would be my defense when dealing with budget cuts and trying to find external funding.”

On Monday, Nourie met with students, faculty and chairs of the College of Educational and Professional Studies. She also interviewed with interim President Lou Hencken and Blair Lord, vice president for academic affairs, as well as members of the search committee.

During Tuesday’s interview sessions, Nourie met with the Council of Deans, the College of Educational and Professional Studies dean’s staff and Dean Hitch.

At Illinois State, Nourie has also been an associate and assistant professor of curriculum and instruction. She has been coordinator of undergraduate programs in curriculum and instruction.

Nourie has a doctorate in curriculum, instruction and media from Southern Illinois University in Carbondale.

She received a master’s degree in English from Southern Illinois and a bachelor’s degree in English with a French minor from Columbia College in Columbia, S.C.

Other candidates interviewing for the position are David England, dean of the College of Education at Western Michigan University in Kalamazoo; Charles Rohn, associate professor of educational administration at Eastern; and Jo-Anne Evans Coleman, vice president for academic and student affairs at Northwestern Health Services University in Bloomington, Minn.