<strong>Search revives after summer slowdown</strong>

Eight months after its start, the UTD presidential search committee has narrowed more than 50 candidates down to 10.

While dates have been pushed back throughout the summer, Teresa Sullivan, search committee chairman and vice chancellor for academic affairs, said she’s ready to get the search back in full gear.

“Two other (candidates) in the search are running against other campus searches, so we have a strong motivation to push (the search) ahead,” Sullivan said. “We don’t want someone nobody else is interested in.”

But the decision to push back the dates back was ultimately in the search committee’s best interest.

“We got three very good candidates at the end of July we hadn’t seen before,” Sullivan said. “It’s not surprising because many are busy during the school year and can meditate (on running for UTD president) during the summer.”

The committee already has decided on eight candidates for interviews to be conducted at DFW airport and is considering an additional two candidates at its Sept. 1 meeting.

Airport interviews will take place mid-September at DFW, and the committee hopes to submit names to the UT System Board of Regents in early October.

The search – which formally began in January – will not end in August as UT System Chancellor Mark Yudof hoped last October. The search is still on schedule, though, to end within the nine to 11-month time frame originally released.

During a 21-day period following the release of the finalists’ names, candidates will visit campus and meet students, faculty, staff and the community before the regents will select UTD’s next president.

Sullivan said campus visits will be arranged at two separate times, so if students need to attend class “no one gets cut out of time to meet with candidates.”

President Franklyn Jenifer officially resigned last October. He then stated his intent to stay until the next president, but no later than August 2005.

<strong>Counseling Center revises student policy</strong>

To handle an increase in demand, the Student Counseling Center at UTD has increased the limit on sessions available to students, according to Director James Cannici.

Previously, students were limited to scheduling 10 sessions for the entire year. Now students can request up to 7 sessions per semester. The new policy allows for a total of 21 sessions per year for students that take fall, spring and summer semester classes; fall and spring students may schedule up to 14 sessions.

The Student Counseling Center sets limitations on the number of visits to prevent an overflow of traffic. Despite the policy, Counseling Center staff will continue to meet with students in emergency or crisis situations even after they have exhausted their visits.

The Student Counseling Center can be contacted at 972-883-2575.