ORLANDO, Fla. – The University of Central Florida's search to select a new president to succeed John C. Hitt has been narrowed down to eight semifinalists, each with extensive experience in the world of academia.
The Presidential Search Committee was formed after Hitt announced in October that he would be retiring in June, bringing his 25 years as president to an end.
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The eight semifinalists were selected during a meeting Thursday morning. They are:
• James Dean, Ph.D., former executive vice chancellor and provost, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill
• Kelvin Droegemeier, Ph.D., vice president for research, University of Oklahoma
• Suresh Garimella, Ph.D., executive vice president for research and partnerships, Purdue University
• Venu Govindaraju, Ph.D., vice president for research and economic development, University at Buffalo
• Mark Kennedy, president, University of North Dakota
• James Weyhenmeyer, Ph.D., professor and vice president of research and economic development, Georgia State University
• Dale Whittaker, Ph.D., provost and executive vice president, University of Central Florida
• Matthew Wilson, JD, president, University of Akron
Those semifinalists will be further narrowed down to three to five candidate after the 15-member search committee interviews them on Feb. 22 and 23.
“The quality of our semifinalists indicates we are well positioned to build on UCF’s momentum,” Presidential Search Committee chair and UCF trustee David Walsh said. “We look forward to meeting with the semifinalists to learn more about their backgrounds and experience.”
Two-day interviews with the candidates will be conducted between March 1 and 8 before the UCF Board of Trustees votes to name a president-elect on March 9. The Florida Board of Governors will vote to confirm that selection on March 28 or 29.
For more information on the search for the university's next president, visit www.ucf.edu/presidentsearch.