Four Finalists Selected in Search for APSU President
NASHVILLE, Tenn. (April 18, 2014) — The search advisory committee for a new president of Austin Peay State University has met and narrowed the candidate pool to four finalists.
They are:
- Bradley Cook, provost and executive vice president and professor of history at Southern Utah University;
- Jerome Gilbert, provost and executive vice president at Mississippi State University;
- Randall Hanna, chancellor of the Florida College System and Division of Florida Colleges; and
- Alisa White, provost and senior vice president for Academic Affairs at the University of Texas at Tyler.
Each will visit the APSU campus for meetings and open forums during the weeks of April 28 and May 5 to meet with a variety of university constituent groups, including faculty and staff, students, alumni and the community.
“This has been an impressive search process, yielding a group of exceptional candidates,” said Tennessee Board of Regents Chancellor John Morgan. “We look forward to having them visit campus to meet the students, faculty, staff, alumni and friends who embody this community. The search committee’s extensive screening and review process resulted in an especially strong pool of applicants, and I appreciate the time and dedication each member provided to the effort.”
A series of campus forums will take place in University Center Rooms 303-305 for each candidate, as well as a tour and forum at the Fort Campbell Center. Open receptions for community members, alumni and friends of the university will be scheduled in the evening at the Pace Alumni Center. Detailed schedules for each finalist will be posted at www.tbr.edu as soon as they are available.
The finalists were screened and selected by the committee from 79 applicants around the country. The committee worked with executive search firm Greenwood/Asher & Associates to identify a broad range of highly qualified candidates. Twelve were invited to meet and interview with the committee. The finalists were selected from that group. The finalists’ resumes are available on the presidential search website at www.tbr.edu.
The search committee’s charge is to interview and identify the finalists for the position of president. Committee members will also participate in the campus meetings and collect comments from constituents. Tennessee Board of Regents Chancellor John Morgan will gather feedback from the committee members and other sources and make the final selection for recommendation to the Board for approval within a few weeks after the campus visits.
Established in 1927 and named after former Tennessee Governor Austin Peay, Austin Peay State University is a regional University serving approximately 10,500 students. Categorized as a Master’s Large institution by the Carnegie Foundation, Austin Peay has been the fastest growing public university in Tennessee for the past 10 years, offering 18 graduate degrees, 44 undergraduate and four associate degrees. The University has been nationally recognized for innovation by the likes of President Obama and Bill Gates in addition to being nationally recognized for multiple years as a Chronicle of Higher Education “Great College to Work For” with honors, as well as G.I. Jobs “Military Friendly Schools,” and Military Times “Best for Vets” College.
The Tennessee Board of Regents is among the nation’s largest higher education systems, governing 46 post-secondary educational institutions. The TBR system includes six universities, 13 two-year colleges and 27 colleges of applied technology, providing programs across the state to more than 200,000 students.
