The search for a new dean of the Office of Black Student Affairs (OBSA), intended to be completed by the end of the semester, is still in its early stages, wrote Claremont University Consortium (CUC) Vice President of Student Affairs Denise Hayes in an e-mail to TSL.
Hayes, the chair of the search committee for the new dean, wrote that the committee is working with a consultant to identify the best applicants for the job.
“The committee is beginning with six to seven candidates that have been vetted by the consultant,” she wrote. “However, the committee can and may review the larger pool of applicants. The three candidates who will be selected for on-campus interviews will be selected based on experiences, references and credentials.”
Hayes added that CUC will not necessarily hire one of the first three candidates to visit campus.
“If none of the candidates are acceptable we would continue the search,” she wrote. “A contingency plan would have to be put in place. There is none at this time.”
Clayburn Peters CM ’69 currently serves as the interim dean, having replaced Hughes Suffren in October. Suffren, who served as OBSA’s dean for 11 years, left after a confidential investigation by CUC.
Anyone can apply for the position via the CUC website, Hayes wrote. She also wrote that the identities of those who have applied for the position are currently confidential. The search consultant, rather than the search committee itself, is handling the first stage of the search process.
“Next week the consultant will meet with the committee to provide us with a list of interested and appropriate applicants,” Hayes wrote. “The committee has not been very active yet.”
The search committee will then conduct phone interviews with those candidates, Hayes wrote. After the phone interviews, “a selection will be made by the committee to invite three candidates for on-campus interviews during finals week.”
“Each candidate invited on campus will participate in an open forum where they will share their vision for OBSA and the community can ask them questions,” Hayes wrote.
The forums would be widely publicized, to encourage attendance.
“It’s very important to have student input even though finals week is a very busy time,” Hayes said.