[Vision2020] U of I President search

[lfalen]

Steve Symms is a high school friend of mine, but in this case I would disagree with him. I am in favor of sticking with Daiely-Laursen, even though he is more politically correct than I would like.
Roger
-----Original message-----
From: Carl Westberg idahovandal1 at live.com
Date: Thu, 09 Apr 2009 07:15:41 -0700
To: vision2020 at moscow.com
Subject: [Vision2020] U of I President search

> 
> >From the Idaho Statesman:   
> April 09, 2009
> 	U of I boosters want Spokane native as school's next president despite salary demands
> 	
> 	Supporters
> of Kansas State University Provost Duane Nellis arranged for former
> U.S. Sen. Steve Symms, who played football for the Vandals in the late
> 1950s, to raise the issue with Gov. Butch Otter in a meeting last week.Lt.
> Gov. Brad Little, many legislators and State Board of Education
> President Milford Terrell have been getting their share of pressure,
> too, to find more money for Nellis, who has attracted support for his
> experience at a land grant school and his Northwest connections.
> But he turned down the offer because the salary was too low.
> "There's
> a problem when the guy wants the job and the board wants to hire him
> and pay is the issue," Symms told the Idaho Statesman.
> Otter is
> listening. "The governor has been in communication with the (State
> Board) relative to these issues," spokesman Jon Hanian wrote in an
> e-mail Wednesday. "The governor is still gathering information and
> beyond that isn't commenting about the prospects of any specific
> candidate."
> U of I faithful consider a new president vital to the
> 120-year-old school's future. Since President Bob Hoover quit suddenly
> over a financial scandal in 2003, the U of I has had four temporary or
> permanent presidents. The longest-serving was Tim White, who resigned
> in June to take a job at University of California-Riverside.
> "The
> University of Idaho people are on edge because there's been a lot of
> topsy-turvy," said Robie Russell, an alum who practices law in Seattle.
> "I think people are concerned because this process seems to have gone
> awry. All of a sudden people are bailing. What the heck's going on?"
> Of
> five finalists, three have withdrawn. Last week, Montana State
> University Provost David Dooley cited differences with the State Board
> over the "role, scope, and future" of the U of I.
> In February,
> Ham Shirvani, president of California State University Stanislaus,
> withdrew. Shirvani told the Statesman there were two factors: strong
> support at home and money.
> "If you want to move from one place to
> another, you've got to have something to make it worth your while,"
> Shirvani said Tuesday. "Forgive me for being so blunt."
> Shirvani
> makes $320,000 and said the U of I job was to pay in the "early 300s."
> When he learned that was not negotiable, Shirvani said, he withdrew.
> Nellis
> did not reply to requests for an interview. But when he withdrew last
> month, he said he was seeking less than the $370,000 he and his wife,
> Ruthie, make at Kansas State. Nellis makes $272,000, his wife $98,000.
> "I was not being unreasonable, in my opinion," Nellis said.
> The
> 16 people on the presidential search committee have been asked not to
> speak to reporters. But U of I student body President Garrett Holbrook
> said Wednesday, "We need a president and we needed one last month."
> Pay is the sticking point, Holbrook said, adding that he's heard through the grapevine Nellis would agree to about $350,000.
> "We
> have to put up if we want a president capable of moving us forward,"
> Holbrook said. "The notion that we're going to get one for a bargain is
> a little ridiculous."
> If the board can't strike a deal with
> Nellis, Holbrook said, interim President Steven Daley-Laursen should
> get the nod. "We have someone who's doing a fantastic job and who
> people respect."
> Daley-Laursen, who  agreed not to seek the full-time post when he applied for the interim job, declined comment Wednesday.
> State Board President Terrell said Wednesday, "We're in negotiations and I can't talk about any of this."
> Some U of I backers distrust Terrell because he's a past president of Boise State's Athletic Association.
> "They
> enter into negotiations with Mr. Terrell and, suddenly, they're not
> interested. It causes you to wonder what's going on," said Howard
> Foley, a former National Vandal Booster of the Year and a lawyer in
> Meridian. 
> Terrell would not comment on that charge. But board
> spokesman Mark Browning said Terrell is being wrongly maligned. "This
> guy has worked harder and longer to find the best president than
> anybody could possibly imagine," he said.
> Members of the Vandal Boosters, also known as the Vandal Scholarship Fund, have been leading the campaign for Nellis. 
> Lee
> Shellman, who played football with Symms, has helped organize e-mail
> and phone campaigns over the past four weeks. "Our booster group is
> firmly behind us," said Shelman, a physical therapist in Coeur d'Alene.
> "They've gotten the Vandals aroused."
> Nellis' backers cite his
> experience as the No. 2 at a land-grant institution, his roots in the
> Northwest, and an academic record that includes a Ph.D. from Oregon
> State in geography and research analyzing the Earth's land surface,
> which has drawn more than $3 million in grants.
> Boosters are
> exploring raising private funds to supplement presidential pay, a
> practice common in some states and used to lure coaches in Idaho. That
> would require a change in state policy, which Symms said he urged Otter
> to make .
> Shellman notes that the U of I has already spent
> $165,000 on the search. "We are still wooing this guy. We don't want to
> see another $165,000 spent. Dr. Nellis loves the University of Idaho
> and is fully qualified."
> Dan Popkey: 377-6438
> 
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