Four to Interview for President of Southeastern Louisiana University

Published on under 2009 / News / SLU Search / Southeastern

BATON ROUGE –  Four candidates will interview with the Southeastern Louisiana University Presidential Search Committee during the week of Feb. 9. The interviews, which will be open to the public, will be part of a day-long series of meetings on the Hammond campus for each of the candidates.

“The selection of a new university president will impact many different constituents. It is important that we give the Southeastern community an opportunity to get to know each of the candidates while the candidates familiarize themselves with the university,” said University of Louisiana System President and search chair Randy Moffett. “A full schedule of meetings for the candidates will be finalized later this week that will incorporate quality time with faculty, staff, students, community members and the search committee.”

The four semi-finalists are: ·

  • Nick J. Bruno, Vice President for Business and Finance at the University of Louisiana System. Bruno earned a Ph.D. in Educational Leadership from the University of Mississippi.
  • John L. Crain, Interim President of Southeastern Louisiana University. Crain earned a Ph.D. in Accountancy from the University of Mississippi.
  •  Michael D. Shonrock, Vice President for Student Affairs and Enrollment Management and Associate Professor at Texas Tech University. Shonrock earned a Ph.D. in Higher Education Administration at the University of Kansas.
  • Karen A. White, Senior Advisor for Urban and Metropolitan University Initiatives and Professor at the University of South Florida. White earned an A.Mus.D. in Violin Performance from the University of Arizona.

Linda Bennett, a fifth semi-finalist invited to interview, withdrew from the Southeastern search when she accepted the presidential position at the University of Southern Indiana on Saturday.

After the four days of interviews and meetings with the candidates, the search committee plans to deliberate and recommend at least two candidates to the Board of Supervisors for the University of Louisiana System, who will make the final selection.

Voting members of the 10-member committee include UL System Board Members Andre Coudrain of Hammond, Elsie Burkhalter of Slidell, Russell Mosely of Baton Rouge, Wayne Parker of Ruston, Winfred Sibille of Sunset, and Student Board Member Morgan Verrette of Lake Charles. Also serving as a voting member is Southeastern Faculty Senate Representative Joseph Burns.

Serving in a non-voting, advisory capacity are Southeastern Student Government Association President Zealon Solomon and community representative Daryl Ferrara who was selected by the Hammond Chamber of Commerce. UL System President Randy Moffett serves as the non-voting chair.

With more than 15,000 students, Southeastern is Louisiana’s third largest public university. The university was recently named "a great college to work for" by the Chronicle of Higher Education. Since 1990, Southeastern has been one of the fastest growing universities in the state, with an enrollment growth that has exceeded the state average. At the same time, the university increased admission requirements and its regional and statewide profile. This fall, the percentage of incoming freshmen with an ACT of 24 or above increased 19 percent.

The university is a catalyst for economic development along I-12, playing a central role in workforce development, strategic partnerships, the generation and transfer of ideas and technology and enhancing the quality of life in communities throughout the region.

For more information about the Southeastern search, including candidate applications and an independent review of the Southeastern campus, visit the UL System’s website at www.ulsystem.edu and click on the Southeastern search icon.  To submit questions or comments to the search committee, send an email to presidentialsearch@uls.state.la.us. 

 -ULS-