May 02, 2002
Board to interview three candidates for Kutztown University presidency
Contact: Kevin Hensil, khensil@passhe.edu
TheKutztown University of Pennsylvania Council of Trustees has selected three candidates for the position of university president to be interviewed by the Pennsylvania State System of Higher Education's Board of Governors.
The Council endorsed the recommendation of its presidential search committee and agreed to submit the candidates' names to Chancellor Dr. Judy G. Hample and the Board of Governors. The Board will make the final decision on who will succeed Dr. David E. McFarland as Kutztown’s next chief executive. Dr. McFarland, who plans to retire June 30, has served as university president for 14 years.
The three candidates, all of whom already have visited the campus and have met with students, staff, faculty, administrators, alumni and community leaders as part of the search process, are:
· Dr. F. Javier Cevallos, vice chancellor for student affairs at the University of Massachusetts-Amherst.
· Dr. Howard C. Johnson, executive vice provost for academic affairs at Syracuse University.
· Dr. Carol J. Matteson, president of Mount Ida College in Newton Centre, Mass.
Executive Deputy Chancellor Dr. Michael K. Becker will visit the campuses of the candidates to gather additional information about each and will prepare a report for the Board, which will meet next Thursday. The Board will conduct separate interviews with each of the candidates before making the final selection.
With more than 98,600 students, the Pennsylvania State System of Higher Education is the largest provider of higher education in the Commonwealth. Its 14 universities offer more than 250 degree and certificate programs in more than 120 areas of study. More than 360,000 System alumni live and work in Pennsylvania.
The state-owned universities are Bloomsburg, California, Cheyney, Clarion, East Stroudsburg, Edinboro, Indiana, Kutztown, Lock Haven, Mansfield, Millersville, Shippensburg, Slippery Rock and West Chester Universities of Pennsylvania. The System also operates branch campuses in Clearfield, Kittanning, Oil City and Punxsutawney and several regional centers, including the Dixon University Center in Harrisburg and the University Center for Southwest Pennsylvania in Pittsburgh. The regional centers are part of the Educational Resources Group, which is responsible for coordinating statewide programming.