Friday, Feb. 4, is the final candidate forum as Eastern Washington University continues the interview process for its 27th president. Shari McMahan, Provost and Vice President for Academic Affairs at California State University, San Bernardino, is the final of four candidates to visit campus this week.
Faculty, staff, students and community members who have attended public forums or other meetings with candidates must submit their feedback to the Board of Trustees electronically no later than 5 p.m., Friday, February 4.
The four finalists were invited to its Cheney campus following a nationwide search.
The EWU Board of Trustees (BOT) board met Jan. 25 to select the finalists, who were chosen from among more than 60 applicants. Each of the four candidates are visiting Eastern during the first week of February to participate in interviews and open forums with a broad range of campus constituents.
The finalists, along with their current positions and campus-visit dates, are:
- Monroe Gorden, Jr. – Vice Chancellor, Student Affairs at UCLA, interviewed Feb. 1
- David May – Interim President at EWU, interviewed Feb. 2
- John Tomkowiak – Founding Dean, Elson S. Floyd College of Medicine at WSU, interviewed Feb. 3
- Shari McMahan – Provost and Vice President for Academic Affairs at California State University, San Bernardino, interviewing Feb. 4
The curriculum vitae for each candidate, as well as an itinerary for their visits, can be found on the university’s Presidential Search web page. The itinerary is the same for each candidate, and includes times and updated locations for various forums, with both in-person and Zoom options available for meetings.
The BOT initiated the search for the university’s 27th president last April, and EWU’s Presidential Search Advisory Committee evaluated the applicants and provided recommendations to narrow the large field of applicants down to about a dozen candidates.
After receiving input from the campus community, board members are expected to meet in executive session on Saturday, Feb. 5, to evaluate the finalists and review feedback. The BOT choice for Eastern’s next leader will not be made at that meeting but will come at a later date.
