It appears that many students on campus are oblivious to the fact that Wilkes University is searching for a new president to take charge of the university starting next year.

At least, that was the impression from the recent open student forum with presidential search consultant, Steve Leo. The forum was intended to allow the student body to let the search consultant know what qualifications and qualities students are looking for in the new president, as well as any improvements they would expect the president to make to the school.   Out of the 2,300 full time students at Wilkes University, only five attended, two of which are on the search committee.

The Beacon believes that the presidential search is a very important event that many students are dismissing far too easily. It is impossible that five students can accurately represent the views and concerns of the entire student body.  The issues discussed in the forum, along with the results of the online survey, are being used to mold the job description and define the person that Wilkes will be looking for to fill these very important shoes. The search committee stated that many of the more frequent responses have already been worked into the job description.

By not attending the forum, students are essentially telling Wilkes University that they simply do not care about who the next president will be. For those students who do not care enough to participate, it may be that they do not realize the importance of selecting a capable president.

Among other things, the president is responsible for the reputation of the university.  It is his or her duty to make sure that the quality of education does not decrease, and, if possible, to emphasize the learning experience by retaining and recruiting exemplary professors and other faculty and staff..

This is the chance to make a difference and have your voice heard.  The online survey is still active and will remain open until early October, allowing a quick and easy way to give feedback about the next president. You can find a link to this survey along with updates news and information about the process at the Wilkes.edu page dedicated to the presidential search.