By Kate Augusto and Matt Collette

The Provost Search Committee took the first steps to replacing Provost Ahmed Abdelal, who will resign at the end of the spring semester, by meeting with members of the Northeastern community Tuesday and Wednesday to explain the process and gain their input.

One of the meetings was with students at an open forum at the Alumni Center Tuesday where Alberto Pimentel, a hired consultant for the university’s provost search, outlined the role of provost at the beginning of the forum. From starting new programs to faculty hires and overseeing research, Pimentel said the provost works with the deans and the university president to “develop the academic vision for the institution.”

Pimentel, along with the chair of the committee, Donna Bishop, and other committee members, answered questions about the provost search and listened to students’ needs at the open forum. However, faculty members remain concerned about their role in the process.

During yesterday’s Faculty Senate meeting, Pimentel said the search process might not be transparent to the Northeastern community, as candidates seeking the provost’s office might not want their current employer to know they are considering leaving.

“The reason for that is real simple,” Pimentel said. “You’re asking me to basically go out and steal somebody from another university. At the early stages, they don’t want to be exposed because it could sour their reputations.”

Faculty were concerned that candidates on the “short list” might not be willing to appear before the university at large and that the deliberations and ultimate decision, which will be made by President Joseph Aoun, will occur behind closed doors.

“Faculty concerns should be considered carefully against the need for confidentiality,” said Senate Agenda Committee chair Carol Glod after the meeting. “Those finalists who are truly interested would want to have those forums and want to learn more before taking the position.”

Bishop assured that was not the case.

“It is our greatest desire to make this an open process,” Bishop said.

Most of the 40 minutes allocated to the committee in yesterday’s meeting were spent discussing the process of hiring a new provost, with relatively little discussion regarding faculty input for the search committee.

“I would like to see a whole new set of meetings and not waste time talking about what a provost is, what the process is,” Student Government Association (SGA) President Joey Fiore said after the Faculty Senate meeting, which he attended.

Fiore said he was also surprised by Aoun’s vision for the role of the new provost, which Pimental shared with the audience.

“The most important thing that has come out so far is that the consultant said the university is heading in a decentralized direction where the deans will have the power and colleges will be acting more independently,” Fiore said.

Still, some said they felt the student forum was successful.

“I felt it was definitely a good start in terms of students giving feedback about what they want to see and what issues are important to them. The big things being stressed were having a provost who is student-friendly and better at communicating,” said Stephen Lavenberg, the SGA representative on the Provost Search Committee. “It’s sometimes hard for the average student because they don’t know what the provost does and therefore [they think] there’s not really a reason to come to the forum for the search committee.”

The committee is also comprised of nine faculty members and a graduate student representative.

Visibility on campus, bridging the gap between faculty and students and making students aware of what the provost does, were discussed as the most important qualities students were looking for in a provost. Graduate students were particularly concerned with research money and increased support since they act as both staff and full-time students.

Linda Sun, a junior economics and mathematics major, said she hopes to have a provost who communicates well with students.

When administration in the Provost’s Office unexpectedly announced last May they were shutting down the Peer Tutoring Center in the library, Sun said she felt it was unfair students weren’t part of the dialogue. However, she said she understands that faculty members have concerns students may not appreciate.

“I think it’s important to balance the needs of administration with the wants of students,” Sun said.

Although the audience was made up of only about 20 students, mostly SGA members, vice chair of the committee Joanne Miller was impressed with how well the forum went.

“There was first-rate feedback and interesting graduate and undergraduate perspectives,” Miller said. “Students are, in general, very concerned about the quality of education they are getting and the opportunities they are getting.”

While the committee continues to get input, they will start to comprise all the skills and characteristics they would like to see in a provost, Pimental said. The next step will be recruiting candidates, followed by evaluating those who are interested in the position and finally making an offer.

Students who missed the forum can still give their input online at the provost search web page, which Miller said should be up by the end of the week. Students can also e-mail Bishop at [email protected] or speak with Lavenberg or Tina Penman, the graduate student representative.

Bishop said there is no real time table for finding the provost.

“We will search until we’re successful and until we find candidates we think are of sufficiently good quality and a good fit for the university,” she said.