Pam Christman’s visit to Eastern’s campus was the first of four on-campus interview days for the vice president of university advancement search.

A recommendation to hire one of the candidates is expected to be made in the middle of December. The new vice president will replace Jill Nilsen, who announced her intention to retire on Dec. 31 this summer.

Christman met with several groups during her visit to discuss the position and her plans for the university.

“I look forward to learning even more,” she said. “A lot of the groups I met with were very large so it was difficult to get into much detail, it was very big picture. I look forward to looking at more detail.”

Part of her day was an open meeting with members of the campus community, including representatives of the Tarble Arts Center, faculty senate and external relations. At the meeting she talked about why she is interested in the position.

“I want to go someplace where I can have an impact,” Christman said. “You’re at a point in time where you’re experiencing huge growth in advancement.”

Christman has spent her career working in a variety of departments for the University of Illinois in Urbana-Champaign. The potential for a culture shock in moving to a much smaller institution was a concern raised in the meeting.

“They’re two different institutions, but they are both solid,” she said. “My own university would not offer me the opportunity to work as broadly as I can here. The breadth of the experience is what excites me most about this opportunity.”

Fundraising, public and donor relations and team building are all parts of the position. Christman said she enjoys using critical thinking and case studies to solve problems.

She considers advancement to be an important part of the university’s structure and feels the campus is receptive to developing the area.

“It’s extremely welcoming,” Christman said. “I’ve been impressed with all the diverse number of individuals who have been part of the process and asked me questions. It showed a great interest in advancement and great interest in seeing that good things happen for Eastern Illinois University.”

Sarah Ruholl can be reached at 581-7942 or [email protected].