The search process for Emporia State University’s new president is moving smoothly, according to the search committee’s chairman.
Greg Kossover provided an update on KVOE’s ESU Buzz on Thursday. Kossover, a graduate of Emporia State and now the executive vice president and chief financial officer of Equity Bank in Wichita, says it was important to get a good cross-section of search committee members at the start of the process last fall, and he says that was accomplished.
Kossover also says the committee has worked well with AGB Search, an outside firm chosen by the Board of Regents that specializes in finding college administrators. While not revealing any specifics about anybody potentially in the pool, Kossover says the process is getting “an excellent response” and he’s “bullish” about the final recommendation once that goes to the Kansas Board of Regents.
The process started shortly after former president Allison Garrett resigned to become the CEO and chancellor of the Oklahoma higher education system — and after the naming of Kossover’s friend, Ken Hush, as Emporia State’s interim president. Kossover says it has become important for university leaders to have outside experience as Hush has in the business world, and he says the position has consistently attracted high-quality candidates, including Garrett and her predecessor, Michael Shonrock.
Unlike past presidential searches, where finalist candidates have come to ESU for public interviews, the president will not be named until a job offer is finalized. Kossover says that helps to deepen the candidate pool.
