ENMU candidate interviews begin

Interviews for five finalists for the job of chancellor of the Eastern New Mexico University system have begun.

According to a schedule published in the “forums and interviews” section of the ENMU Presidential Search website, Larry Sanderson from New Mexico Junior College in Hobbs and James Johnston from Midwestern State University in Wichita Falls, Texas, both were scheduled to attend community forums Tuesday.

James Williams of Emporia State University in Emporia, Kan., is scheduled for a community forum at 4:30 p.m. today in rooms 216 and 217 of the Golden Student Success Center, 1500 S. Ave. K in Portales.

Bruno Hicks from Dalton State College in Dalton, Ga. and Gary Liguori from the University of Rhode Island in Kingston, R.I. are scheduled for community forums Thursday at 4:30 p.m. and 5:45 p.m. respectively, also in rooms 216 and 217 of the Golden Student Success Center.

Community forums are open to the public.

All five candidates are also scheduled to be at ENMU staff and faculty forums through Friday as well as meetings with faculty, staff and interested parties with the ENMU Roswell and Ruidoso campuses.

According to the interview schedule published in the ENMU Presidential Search website Sanderson and Johnston are scheduled to have their closed session interviews with the university’s five-member Board of Regents today at 5:30 p.m. and 7 p.m. respectively.

Williams is scheduled to be interviewed by the Board of Regents at 5:30 p.m. Thursday, Liguori at 5 p.m. Friday and Hicks at 8:30 a.m. Saturday.

Board of Regents President Lance Pyle said the decision as to who gets the university’s top job -- ENMU’s president also oversees the ENMU system as chancellor -- will be made by the regents with input from ENMU faculty and staff along with the community.

Pyle said the board has a target date of Nov. 29 for approval of a contract and an announcement as to who will be ENMU’s 12th president.