Dunn ‘Top Candidate’ at Southern Illinois University
YOUNGSTOWN, Ohio -- Youngstown State University has confirmed that the topic of tonight's special meeting of its board of trustees is "presidential employment." The confirmation came in a two-sentence release notifying the press of the meeting.
It follows a report by the student newspaper at Southern Illinois University, the Daily Egyptian, that states YSU's president, Randy J. Dunn, is "the leading candidate" to become the eighth president of SIU (READ STORY).
The report, published Saturday, quotes the chairman of the YSU Board of Trustees, Sudershan Garg, as stating, “If this is true, it’s a surprise to me. We had an executive meeting six days ago and the subject never came up.”
Dunn was scheduled to appear at YSU's Crash Day opening ceremonies at the Watts Center this morning, but "cleared his calendar today," reported Jack Fahey, vice president of student affairs.
"We're going to lose a significant amount of momentum if we were to lose him," Fahey said. "In the time that he's been here, he's done a good job. He's generating momentum in terms of initiatives he's started such as enrollment engagement."
Fahey told The Business Journal that he understands that Dunn would be working from his residence today and could not provide any additional details. "I know as much as you do," he said.
Should Dunn leave, the university would have to conduct another presidential search and attract new candidates for the position, Fahey said. "We would have to do a new search and do all the work that the university and the community has expended -- a lot of time, energy, resources [were spent] in terms of welcoming Dr. Dunn and orienting him to the campus and community," he said. "We're right back to doing that again if it is the case that he is leaving us."
Multiple sources tell The Business Journal the YSU trustees were blindsided by Dunn's pursuit of the position at Southern Illinois University, where he had served as an associate professor, professor and department chairman of educational administration and higher education.
"If it's true, it's a serious blow to the university," said Harry Meshel, a member of the board of trustees.
Dunn became YSU’s president July 15.
The special meeting of the trustees is scheduled for 6 p.m.
The Daily Egyptian reports the SIU Board of Trustees made its selection Thursday about who would be named its next president at an announcement scheduled for 2 p.m. Central time today.
Dunn has been unavailable for comment.
During his seven months at YSU, Dunn has implemented a freeze in discretionary spending as the largest element of a plan to make up a projected budget defici of $6.6 million.
He was installed as president of YSU Nov. 1. “Reinventing the university,” he told trustees, faculty, his administration and delegates from a dozen other universities who attended the ceremony, “is all about helping others [students] reinvent themselves. … Let us build on [YSU’s] promise,” he urged, “not let others do it for us.”
Dunn came to YSU after nearly seven years as president of Murray State University in Kentucky. Before that, he was superintendent of education for the state of Illinois,held positions at SIU, and was assistant professor of leadership at the University of Memphis. He also served as superintendent of two school districts, principal of a middle school and grade school and was an elementary and reading teacher, all in Illinois.
Copyright 2014 The Business Journal, Youngstown, Ohio.
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