TeamBeer said

Owlcountry: are you going to be able to watch them all? Your insight is excellent and it's nice for those of us that aren't able to see this unfold.

That's my hope. I'm just as interested as you guys.

It's 12:25 and Paul Ferguson is now walking around shaking hands.

owlcountry said

10:15 – 11:45 a.m. – Dr. Terry Hickey (Great orator, very calculated answers, strong presence. Why he wants to be the President here: "I have a low threshold for boredom. I'm a builder. I want to build a research university with links to business and industry." He managed the budget at UCF, secured health insurance for graduate students, created the medical school and secured the funding and the 50 acres for it. On retirement, he took a proactive approach and brought it up before they could: "I am 65. I've been a Provost for 7 years. I told President Hitt I would work there 6-7 years and I honored that. As you may know, a Provostal year is equivalent to a dog year so I feel like I've been doing this for almost 50 years. I'm tired of being a Provost; I am not tired.") He mentioned that FAU's diversified campus system "presents opportunities and challenges" but "is probably the most expensive model you can have." (and he's right) He expects enrollment to increase "but I don't know by how much because I haven't seen [the specifics of] your applicant pool." He had a great anecdote where he said his lunch is a green apple and he walks around campus eating that green apple to interact with students and stay in tune with things. He specifically pushed the importance of the football stadium since "it brings a sense of community among the students. Now, the students aren't always sober but neither is the community. But on gameday, there are tailgates everywhere. The campus is filled with families. It's very difficult to create that without a football stadium" and he also talked at length about how important it is to have ambitious plans for student housing, noting that residential students perform better academically. Bravo. Love the vision, love the experience, love the anecdotes. This guy is fantastic.)

Let's just cut to the chase, and get er dun…….

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FAU President Terry Hickey


;D

Rick said

Let's just cut to the chase, and get er dun…….


FAU President Terry Hickey

That would be my vote right now. Ferguson had a great interview though…  :-\

Speaking of Ferguson: when he asked what FAU wants, what it sees as its top priority for a new President to face, Mayor Whelchel remarked,

"Our goal for Boca Raton is simple: become a world-class city. We cannot do this without a world-class university. So we need you. I do not want to see our best and brightest, especially in Boca, to have to leave South Florida to get an excellent education. The goal is simple but how we get there is a little more complicated. You really have to have a love for your university to want to stay in this geographical area for college…. Sports, in my personal opinion, are extraordinarily important to a university, even down to the very person who has no interest in sports, there is a fantastic synergy that comes from being around masses of people who are committed to something so strongly."

owlcountry said

Rick said

Let's just cut to the chase, and get er dun…….


FAU President Terry Hickey

That would be my vote right now. Ferguson had a great interview though…   :-\

Speaking of Ferguson: when he asked what FAU wants, what it sees as its top priority for a new President to face, Mayor Whelchel remarked,

"Our goal for Boca Raton is simple: become a world-class city. We cannot do this without a world-class university. So we need you. I do not want to see our best and brightest, especially in Boca, to have to leave South Florida to get an excellent education. The goal is simple but how we get there is a little more complicated. You really have to have a love for your university to want to stay in this geographical area for college…. Sports, in my personal opinion, are extraordinarily important to a university, even down to the very person who has no interest in sports, there is a fantastic synergy that comes from being around masses of people who are committed to something so strongly."

;D ;D ;D ;D ;D

Glad to see that the current administrators of Boca see the need for what sports can do for a University and the city around it.

I think it was a good idea to include Whelchel. If she is a part of the process maybe it should improve the relationship.

Thanks to Owlcountry for his insightful commentary on the finalists!

Here's what the BOT said.

Nancy Blosser: "We are set up with the capability of doing three (!) candidates for next week's campus visits. It can be less than that but it must be more than one… Last time we picked our top 5. This time pick your Top 3. Mine are Drs.Hickey, Ferguson, Saunders."

Mayor Whelchel: "The university has thus far just been walking along. It now needs to trot. If we want it to make a leap forward, there are really only one or two candidates in my mind. My recommendations are Dr.Hickey, Dr.Miller and Dr.Saunders. I'm nowhere remotely opposed to the success of UCF. I'd love for him to do that here. I've lived in Orlando and that city came alive with the outstanding growth and success of that university. That gives me hope that in a reasonably short time we could see the same success here."

Tiffany Wiermar, SGA Prez: "I'm thrilled with the candidates that have presented today. Dr.Hickey, Dr.Ferguson and Dr.Saunders."

Robert Stilley, BOT member: "My 3 that can lead us to the next level, because it's a very difficult job ahead: Dr.Hickey, Dr.Olsen, Dr.Miller."

Neale Poller, Former NAA Prez: "Hickey, Miller, Olsen. I express some reservation against Dr.Hickey, however, because he's… not to say burnt out, but he wanted to be happy."

Harry Orf, Scripps Representative: "Hickey, Saunders, Miller. I want to defend Hickey because of his insight to my Scripps question, because it wasn't reactionary and that he's thought about it ahead of time. His instincts about what the right thing to do are right on."

Tim Lenz, Faculty Senate: "Dr.Miller, Dr.Saunders. I was concerned about FAU's plan for the future because it is based on UCF's. I don't think it's applicable here. My third candidate is Ferguson.

David Gray, FAU Foundation: "Miller, Olsen and Saunders. I was concerned with Hickey's looking at this long term as opposed to a parking spot."

David Feder, BOT: "I think Hickey should be a strong candidate. Ferguson and Saunders. I love Kathie, who doesn't? My concern is what she doesn't know. She was so impressive and refreshing. I don't know where to put here because I'd love to have her here!"

Nancy, staff relations: "Ferguson, Saunders, Olsen."

Anne, Nursing: "I'm looking for someone with the breadth and depth of experience to take us to the next level. I was particularly interested in the fund-raising aspect. Olsen has set upon a great trajectory for her career but the academic core just isn't there. Saunders didn't really answer the questions well relating to community connections and future of higher education. Miller, Hickey, Ferguson."

That means the top 3 finalists are Hickey (Eight votes), Saunders (Eight) and Miller (Seven). Ferguson was at 6.

Close race. Can't believe they're considering Saunders. She bored me.

They're still discussing it. Apparently a few of the committee members think Miller and Ferguson are interchangeable, so they're mostly trying to decide who #3 is going to be. They feel Ferguson was more polished and more articulate. About half the committee is expressing a concern about Hickey's potential longevity  :-\

I had Hickey in my top 3, however my only concern is when he said something to the effect of…if I remain a provost, I will need to find a tall building [to jump from].  He implied he was ready to be rejuvenated by being the prez of FAU.  My concern is: will it rejuvenate him or is it that he just thinks it will…and what happens if it does not.  I do not know how close he is to burn out.  Maybe it was just poor choice of his words.  Other than that, I liked the guy.

fauowl said

I had Hickey in my top 3, however my only concern is when he said something to the effect of…if I remain a provost, I will need to find a tall building [to jump from].  He implied he was ready to be rejuvenated by being the prez of FAU.  My concern is: will it rejuvenate him or is it that he just thinks it will…and what happens if it does not.  I do not know how close he is to burn out.  Maybe it was just poor choice of his words.  Other than that, I liked the guy.

Please write in and tell them your stance (alumni, student, etc) and your vote

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here.

Before the committee voted for their Top 3 they read off a submission from online so they're definitely taking it into consideration.

Observation:

Eight of eleven chose Hickey as a final three candidate, and seven of them listed him first.