SLU Presidential Search Committee Recommends Crain and Shonrock to the Full Board

Hammond, La.  – Southeastern Louisiana University’s Interim President, John Crain, and Texas Tech University’s Vice President for Student Affairs and Enrollment Management, Michael Shonrock, were named finalists by the Southeastern Presidential Search Committee today.  Both will be invited to interview with the Board of Supervisors for the University of Louisiana System in Baton Rouge this Tuesday where a final selection is expected.

Today’s decision came on the heels of four days of public interviews as well as university and community meetings with the semi-finalists.

"We had four outstanding candidates and the committee had a tough decision," said UL System President and search committee chair Randy Moffett.  "This has been a very thoughtful and thorough process, and I would like to thank the committee, the campus and the community for their participation."

In making the motion to recommend Crain and Shonrock, UL System Board and search committee member Andre Coudrain spoke of the candidates’ strengths. 

"When the search process began, I thought John Crain’s greatest qualification was his knowledge of Southeastern. The truth is that Dr. Crain’s ability and experience give him the capacity to be a successful president at any university," said Coudrain.  "Dr. Shonrock stood out because he has maintained academic experiences through teaching, he has a strong level of current community involvement, he cares deeply about his students, and he has achieved success at top leadership positions."

The UL System Board of Supervisors is scheduled to select a new president for Southeastern after interviewing the two finalists in a special meeting on Tuesday, Feb. 17 at 9:30 a.m. in the Claiborne Building Auditorium (1201 N. Third Street) in Baton Rouge. 

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

Serving in a non-voting, advisory capacity were 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 served 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, incoming freshmen with an ACT of 24 or above increased by 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.

 -ULS-