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Presidential search moving along

by Cindy A. Abole, Public Relations

The 9th president of the Medical University of South Carolina probably will be a Southerner with good connections to government, finance and academics.

These are characteristics the presidential search committees have sought in their quest to find a new president, said search chairman and MUSC trustee Thomas C. Rowland Jr. 

“We’re not trying to replace Jim Edwards,” Rowland said in an interview this week. “We’re trying to find a president.” 

But he emphasized that the process has been slow and deliberate. “We don’t know yet, who the person will be,” he said. 

Since February, the search advisory committee has received about 50 resumes—some of them solicited in academic publications and periodicals, some from individuals and others by word-of-mouth. The 30-member group enlisted the services of a professional head-hunter and an academic consultant.

The group reviewed resumes and recommendations and narrowed the qualifying field to about a dozen candidates. That list was cut to eight in early June. 

Recently, a separate search committee held interviews with potential candidates. Their findings are expected to yield three finalists whose names will be announced this fall. So far, all applicants have good credentials and possess an academic or administrative background, Rowland said. But he cautioned that it’s possible to go through this group of candidates and still not find the best person for the job. 

Rowland, a former MUSC board chairman and Columbia physician, said the group hopes the new president will have good connections throughout the Southeast and also in South Carolina. 

“Finding someone who possesses most or all of these qualities will be the challenge,” Rowland said. “If you find someone who is not from the Southeast, that person will require extra time to adjust to a new environment and new people.” 

Rowland said the committee hopes the new president will be able to adjust to working with the board in following MUSC’s present strategic plan. “We’ll give the new president enough room to adjust and get situated,” he said. “We’re in no hurry to adapt to a new plan. We definitely want to work together with him throughout the process.” 

The search advisory committee is composed of members of MUSC’s board of trustees, faculty, deans and several Lowcountry and statewide business people. The 12-member search committee is a microcosm of the larger advisory group. 

Following the results of these interviews, the search committee will recommend three candidates to the Board of Trustees as their choice for finalists. From that point, the board will review the candidates and make their final selection. If neither of the three finalists is acceptable to the Board, the search for the university’s next president will continue.