The chancellor search

by Lucy Roberts, Staff Writer

Following Chancellor Emeritus Julius Erlenbach announcing his retirement last spring, a search and screen committee has been formed and is now preparing to launch the search for a new chancellor to lead University of Wisconsin -Superior into the future. 

The committee, formed in early May, is made up of 20 members who were nominated and chosen by UW System administration and other forms of governance. In the spring of 2011, the committee will narrow the candidates down to around ten semi-finalists. 

After off-campus interviews, five finalists will be chosen to visit campus. The UW-System and the Special Regents Committee will then interview the finalists and make their decision.

According to Dr. Martha Einerson, chair of the Communicating Arts department and of the search and screen committee, work is underway in order to provide more information through the university homepage, including a tentative timeline of the process. 

“The search and screen committee will be seeking input on…qualities [looked for in a chancellor] over the next 6-8 weeks through a number of open forums and meetings with groups on campus,” Einerson says, adding, “I meet with the student senate to seek input at their September 27 meeting.” 

This input will aid in putting together a position description, which will be available to the public via the school’s website. The description is tentatively planned to be finalized by Oct.15.

Over the past summer, Einerson worked with UW System Administration to find an executive search firm to assist in the process. These firms search for executives in higher education and help recruit candidates for the position, as well as consult and advise the committee throughout the process. 

This is the first time in the history of UW-Superior that an executive search firm has been hired to find a chancellor. The firm, Storbeck/Pimentel and Associates, LLC, provides executive recruitment services to their clients all across the country, including colleges and non-profit organizations.

How the changes will effect UW-Superior students remains unclear. 

Ultimately, Einerson says, “That’s up to the students and campus to discern in partnership with whoever is hired. My goal as chair of the search committee is not try and replace Chancellor Emeritus Erlenbach. Rather, to find someone who will take what he made great and make it even greater. ”

For now, Chris Markwood fills in as the Interim Chancellor. The former provost has yet to publicly reveal his reasons for not pursuing the chancellor’s position. 

Markwood says his duty as a father keeps him from taking on the role.

“I have a two-year-old,” Markwood explains. “We have a great time bringing her to events on campus. She enjoys it.”

The average age of a chancellor is about 63 or 64, Markwood says, and adds that if he is interested later on in pursuing a presidency or chancellor’s position, he has plenty of time for it in the future. 

For the time being, however, his main focus is on being the best father he can be to his daughter.

“That’s my number one priority right now,” he says with a smile.