With a leadership statement approved last Friday during a special session of the Board of Trustees, Central Michigan University is now heading into the recruiting phase in the presidential search.

The leadership statement, which was put together through input from forums and suggestions via the presidential search Web site, is a two-part document explaining what CMU is about and what the candidate should possess if they want to apply for the position.

"It gives people who are interested in the position a snapshot of what the universities all about and what the job is all about," said Steve Smith, director of media relations.

To help in the recruiting effort, the university will be placing advertisements in early to mid-June and again in August, sending out mailings to universities and are encouraging people on campus to nominate people, Smith said.

"We are looking to draw from a broad base of input to identify potential candidates for the presidential position," Smith said.

The advertisements will be placed in primary journals in higher education, according to Charles Bunting of Storbeck/Pimentel & Associates, CMU's search consultant.

Bunting said the advertisements will be used twice, once to get the word out for the position in June and the second time in August because some people involved in academia tend take time off during the summer.

The university has not set a certain number of applicants they would like to receive, Smith said.

"There isn't a magic number," Smith said. "Certainly with any search we're interested in finding the most qualified individuals and talking with them so that we make sure we will the position with the right person."

The trustees met last Friday in special session instead of during a normal meeting to get a head start on the recruiting phase of the search, Smith said.

The leadership statement includes statements about how the university president should be able to help guide the university through the harsh economic times, keep the students at the center of the university's goals and continue the work of bringing the medical school to CMU, among many other points.

Student Government Association President Jason Nichol was a part of the meeting last Friday and said he thinks the board has done a good job of incorporating the students input. The next step for students, Nichol said, is going to be a forum when the fall semester starts.

"We will host an all student forum once school starts up," the Mount Pleasant junior said. "Students feel maybe the Board is too formal. So we will have a forum during a SGA meeting and try to get as many people as we can. The students are the reason we are here."

Current University President Michael Rao leaves June 30 to take over as president of Virginia Commonwealth University. Kathy Wilbur, vice president of governmental relations and public affairs, will take over as interim president July 1.

The deadline to apply for the position is October 1. Applications will then be reviewed through the fall semester and with a decision to be made by around January 2010 on who will fill the position, according to the leadership statement. The new candidate will assume the presidency July 1, 2010.

-Senior Reporter Eric Dresden contributed to this report.

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