The final four candidates for Eastern’s new president, starting in July, will be visiting Eastern throughout January to be interviewed by staff, faculty, students and the local community.

The four candidates includes Eastern’s current Vice President of Academic Affairs and Provost, Jay Gatrell, David Brennen a Frost, Brown and Todd professor of law at the Rosenberg College of Law, Diana Rogers-Adkinson, the provost and senior vice president of academic affairs at Bloomsburg University, and Michael Godard, the provost at the Southeast Missouri State University.

Gatrell’s interviews are on Tuesday, Brennen’s on Thursday, Rogers-Adkinson’s on Jan. 17 and Godard’s on Jan. 23.

The interviews are set up to allow separate 50-minute time slots for staff, faculty, students and the local community on the days the candidates are on campus.

Staff are also invited to meet the candidates at 10 a.m. to 10:50 a.m. in the Arcola/Tuscola Room in the Martin Luther King Jr. University Union on the four dates.

Faculty are invited to the same room from 2 p.m. to 2:50 p.m.

Students will meet the candidates and interview them from 3 p.m. to 3:50 p.m. in the Arcola/Tuscola Room. Pizza will also be provided for the students’ sessions on all four dates.

The Charleston and Eastern community members are invited to meet and interview the candidates from 5 p.m. to 5:50 p.m. on the four scheduled dates.

All sessions are at the same time and location for all four candidate interview dates.

There is also an online link to attend virtually on Eastern’s presidential search website. Questions from people in-person at the sessions will take priority over questions from those attending virtually.

The final four candidates were picked following interviews by the Presidential Search Committee.

The committee initially interviewed 16 candidates before finalizing on the four to visit campus.

Over 50 applications were reviewed by the committee before the 16 interviews took place.

Eastern has hired Greenwood/Asher & Associates, a consultation company who run executive searches, to hold the search for presidential candidates throughout this process.

Eastern is set to spend over $110,000 on the search for the next Eastern president.

The search for a new president began when University President David Glassman announced his plan to retire on June 30, 2023 at the 2021 State of the University Address.

For updates and access to the final four candidates’ letter of interest, curriculum vitae, diversity statement, evaluation survey and the link to attend sessions virtually, Eastern has a president search website page.

Madelyn Kidd can be reached at 581-2812 or at DENeic@gmail.com.