How you can help the University System of Georgia hire Columbus State’s next president
The public will have several ways to share opinions in helping the University System of Georgia Board of Regents’ selection committee determine who will be the next president of Columbus State University.
Ann Yates, a managing director at ZRG Partners, the consulting firm hired for the search efforts, explained the process during an Aug. 19 committee meeting in CSU’s Cunningham Center.
The committee will conduct listening sessions with faculty, staff, students and local residents in which committee members can hear what those stakeholders say are the qualities they’d want the next CSU president to exemplify, Yates said.
The committee will collect public opinions from an online survey on a dedicated page on CSU’s website. Also on the page, folks will be able to nominate candidates, Yates said.
Dates for the listening sessions and survey, and when the web page will be live, have yet to be announced.
Chris Markwood retired June 30 after seven years as CSU’s fifth president. The institution was founded in 1958 as Columbus College and gained university status in 1996.
University System of Georgia vice chancellor for organizational effectiveness John Fuchko started working full-time on CSU’s campus June 1 and officially became interim president July 1.
Regent C. Thomas Hopkins Jr., chairman of the selection committee, asked committee members to describe the qualities they are looking for in the next CSU president. Here are excerpts from what they said:
Stephen Butler, CSU Foundation Board of Trustees member and retired CEO and chairman of the W.C. Bradley Co., wants demonstrated leadership experience, someone who “understands how the university fits in the community and vice versa.” Fuchko fits that mold, Butler said.
Larry Dooley, professor and chairman of the CSU Department of Theatre and Dance, said, “Columbus State is remarkable for its connection to the community. If we can find someone that can build on that connection, we will be in good shape.”
Troy Keller, professor in the CSU Department of Earth and Space Sciences and executive officer of the CSU Faculty Senate, seeks a proponent of academics, “helping us get the word out what a great institution it is,” someone who “wants to and can connect with donors,” is a “leader who wants to share their vision with the faculty” and has a “keen interest in shared governance.”
Lydia Ray, associate professor of computer science and immediate past executive officer of the CSU Faculty Senate, said, “I want someone who will uphold the academic freedom of the faculty.”
Jordan Allen, president of the CSU Student Government Association, seeks someone who “shares students’ interests, their goals, their aspirations… really empowers students to get them to where they want to be.”
Kelly Wilson, senior executive director of CSU Facilities and Real Estate, said, “I want a person that sees the vision for our facilities… someone that is fiscally responsible.”
Cortney Wilson, director of the CSU William B. Turner Center for Servant Leadership, wants “someone who is going to be a servant leader, who cares about our community, about our students, about our faculty and staff, and cares in a way that they are listening to the needs of our community and working tirelessly to address those needs.”
Steven Wright, assistant professor of counselor education and immediate past executive secretary of the CSU Faculty Senate, wants someone who “actively listens to stakeholders… relies on people around them… engages meaningfully with others.”
Victoria Buchanan, a graduate assistant in the CSU Office of Student Life and Development, seeks someone who “shares in our students’ interests, encouraging leadership and diversity.”
Jimmy Yancey, a CSU Foundation Board of Trustees member and retired president and chairman of Synovus, wants someone who is a “very highly regarded academic,” has “outstanding leadership” and can “motivate the university and the community to move to a better place.”
Gwen Ruff, a CSU Foundation Board of Trustees member, CSU Alumni Association Board member and senior vice president for administration and community outreach at Columbus Water Works, seeks someone who is “self-aware, understands their blind spots,” adjusts accordingly, has a “high level of emotional IQ to understand how to interact with people,” a good listener and “exceptional communicator,” a track record of being a “visionary with strategic focus… someone who’s adaptable and flexible” and “community oriented.”
Teddie Ussery, CSU Foundation Board of Trustees past chairwoman and founder of financial advising company Family Office Matters, wants someone who “can be an out-of-the-box thinker… willing to possibly be a risk taker… willing to fail but figure out what went wrong,” has “connectivity” to all stakeholders and is a “good listener, one that practices good judgment, one that is willing to laugh at himself or herself and be able to move forward with what that brings, and a good communicator that can share the vision that they have.”
Natalia Temesgen, associate professor of creative writing in the CSU Department of English, seeks a collaborator and a delegator, someone who can “sit in the uncomfortable parts… and be comfortable talking through that.” Fuchko fits that mold, Temesgen said.
Marvin Crumbs, principal of Columbus High School and a CSU Alumni Board of Directors member, wants a “21st Century” leader, someone who understands stakeholders “have to have input… empower students, empower faculty.”
William Keen, student development coordinator in the CSU Office of Student Life and Development and chairman of the CSU Staff Council, seeks someone who connects with faculty and staff, “understanding the importance of staff in the function of the university… how there’s learning that happens outside the classroom,” focuses on the diversity of the student population and supports the institution’s “core values.”
Floyd Jackson, professor and chairman of the CSU Department of Chemistry, was absent from the meeting. However, USG vice chancellor for external affairs Ashley May relayed to the committee that he wants someone who is “student-friendly, accessible and visible on campus… able to relate to (students’) challenges… strong and not afraid to make difficult decisions.”
Two other regents are on the committee: Board Chairman Harold Reynolds and W. Allen Gudenrath.
After hearing everyone describe their ideal candidate, USG chancellor Sonny Perdue sparked laughter around the room when he joked they are looking for “a combination of Wonder Woman and Superman.”
The Board of Regents changed USG policy in May to make the search process for presidents the same across all institutions. It now requires the committee to send names and credentials of 3-5 unranked candidates to the Board for consideration. The policy gives the Board exclusive authority to designate one or more finalists. USG must announce the finalist or finalists five business days before voting to hire.
That means finalists won’t visit campus for public forums, as they did when Markwood was hired in 2015.
Perdue told the committee why the names of candidates must be kept secret until the finalist or finalists are announced, asserting that the best candidates probably already have a job.
“When you breach the confidentiality of the process,” he said, “good things don’t happen.”
Hiring institution presidents is “probably the most important” responsibility for the USG Board of Regents, Perdue said. “Leadership and people matter,” he said.
The connection CSU and the Columbus community have with each other is as strong as anywhere, Perdue said.
“This is a special place,” he said, “and I think you deserve a leader at the university here who will be commensurate with what Columbus has given and continues to give back, from the philanthropic community to the community at large.”
This story was originally published September 1, 2022 at 5:59 AM.
