New CSUCI Chief to Be Named by March

The committee charged with selecting the new president for Cal State Channel Islands agreed on a timeline Monday for filling the job.

The panel, made up of Cal State trustees, faculty, staff, students and alumni, set March as its deadline for making the decision, with the successful candidate to start no later than May, said university spokesman Ken Swisher.

The new administrator would be expected to hire faculty and help shape the curriculum before the new university opens--in fall 2002, if it meets enrollment requirements.

The emerging university’s first president, Handel Evans, announced last month he will resign next year.

Committee members will soon advertise the position of Evans’ replacement in national education journals and announce the finalists in February.

William D. Campbell, chairman of the selection committee, said the panel will seek candidates who are well-grounded in academics and community service and who can also raise money and maintain the momentum that has been generated in support of Ventura County’s first public university.

“We’re trying to find the most qualified person in the U.S.,” Campbell said.

University officials also announced Monday that the campus Web site has received more than 110,000 hits for faculty employment opportunities since the recruitment process began early this month.