Deryl Wynn | ESU Bulletin

Posts Tagged ‘Deryl Wynn’

Written by Bulletin Staff
Monday, 12 December 2011 18:08
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Michael Shonrock, newly appointed president of Emporia State, answers questions during a press conference immediately following the regents' announcement in Albert Taylor Hall. Shonrock said he was honored and excited to accept the presidency. Jon Coffey/The Bulletin

Albert Taylor Hall was bustling with people Friday as the Kansas Board of Regents announced the new president of Emporia State, Michael Shonrock. The regents convened a session on the stage and took an official vote, selecting Shonrock as the 16th president of ESU.

But they had previously extended him the offer, coming to a consensus in an executive session, said Vanessa Lamoreaux, associate director of communications for KBOR.

“The meeting was – there was no binding action that was taken,” Lamoreaux said. “Instead what the regents did the other night after they concluded the interviews is they reached consensus as a group on who the offer would be extended to. The offer was extended, the candidate tentatively accepted and the formal and binding action took place at the meeting that took place this morning (Dec. 9) on the ESU campus.”

Lamoreaux said the Kansas Open Meetings Act was not violated and cited the 1990 case O’Hair vs. UDS 300 as reference.

Still, Shonrock said he was “just overwhelmed with joy” and also joked that he “loved the way you vote out here in Kansas.”

Shonrock and his wife Karen were on campus following the announcement, having a brief press conference and then meeting students, faculty and community members in the Plumb Hall rotunda.

“Sincerely, we fell in love with Emporia State University, and we fell in love with Emporia,” Shonrock said. “We look forward to the many opportunities ahead.”

He said that this was an exciting time for ESU with the approach of the 150 year celebration, and during his first months as president he wants to continue to assess the university and build relations on campus.

He said that there will be many opportunities to build ESU’s brand and find ways to encourage growth in various parts of the institution to help aid enrollment and the retention of students.

“We want to look at our current plan in terms of our strategies for the future,” Shonrock said. “In terms of enrollment we want to work very closely with the foundation. We don’t get a second chance to have a 150 year anniversary, and so it’s a great opportunity for us to really seriously look at a capital campaign to help benefit the institution.”

Derryl Wynn, search committee chair, said Shonrock’s passion for education and his sense of humor were among the reasons they suggested him for the position.

“We gravitated towards Dr. Shonrock mainly because of what he was able to accomplish at his prior university and because…he demonstrates a genuine interest in (students’) welfare,” Wynn said. “One of the things that we also liked, frankly, was his energy.”

The atmosphere was one of the chief reasons Shonrock said he desired the presidential position, as well as the time he had spent here previously in college.

While fundraising and improving town and gown relations are top priorities for Shonrock, he said that he also hopes to teach at some point during his presidency.

“I really do hope to have the opportunity very early to be a member of the faculty. That’s very important to me,” Shonrock said.

Shonrock said he and his wife intend to “start the new year as Kansans,” and will move into the presidential residence at 1522 Highland St. after Christmas. He will assume official duties as president on Jan. 3, 2012.

Charlie Heptas/The Bulletin
news@esubulletin.com

President search narrows to four candidates

Written by Bulletin Staff
Thursday, 27 October 2011 16:31
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The search for Emporia State’s next president has been narrowed down to the final four candidates.

The prospective presidents will be invited for campus visits in early to mid-November for personal interviews with search committee members, according to Deryl Wynn, search committee chair.

“ESU is the best kept secret and we don’t want to be the next best secret anymore,” said Jonathan Rivers, search committee member and senior social science secondary education major. “We want a leader and champion and I think that’s what we are going to get.”

During their campus visits, candidates will tour the university and interact with various groups to determine if ESU is the right fit for them.

Students will also be allowed to sit in on interviews with the candidates, ask them questions and get to know them, Wynn said. The committee is also setting up a survey where students and faculty that participate in the open forums can give feedback.

Rivers said students hold considerable weight in this final decision.

“ESU (has) a strong foundation,” Rivers said. “A lot of individuals are in love with this institution. We want that inspirational leader who is ready to take us to the next level.”

The names of the finalists will be available within next few weeks before they come to campus, but Wynn said the names of the candidates who are sent to the Board of Regents for selection would not be made public until after a president has been appointed.

“The final ones that go to the Board of Regents will not be made available before they meet with the board,” Wynn said.

Still, Rivers said that KBOR aims to appoint a candidate whom students can rally behind.

“The process also has to have a certain amount of flexibility because it’s important that we find the right person for the job,” said Vanessa Lamoreaux, spokeswoman for the KBOR.

Rivers said the committee is assembled by an appropriate team of people who have the best interest of ESU at heart and want to see it move forward.

“Even though we come from all different walks of life and have different experiences, the committee itself, despite differences, (is) unified in their assessment,” Wynn said. “I feel extremely encouraged and positive about where we are.”

Lamoreaux said the search committee will submit to KBOR its candidate recommendations at the conclusion of the campus interviews. KBOR intends to name the 16th president of ESU before the end of December.

Susan Welte

Search looks beyond higher ed.

Written by Bulletin Staff
Thursday, 22 September 2011 09:33
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Wynn

A presidential search update released last Friday reported a high interest in the position by professionals outside of higher education. While some on campus, including Dean Steven Brown, said they were closely watching the situation, none said there was any cause for alarm – yet.

But Deryl Wynn, chair of the search committee, said nothing was off the table and the committee does not want to rule out any candidates just because they might not have experience in higher education.

“If Gen. Colin Powell tells me he wants to be the president of Emporia State University, I’m not going to tell him he’s not qualified,” Wynn said.

Still, some say that the next president needs to have experience in higher education.

“For my own part, I would always rather find someone who has a little broader experience,” said Steven Brown, outgoing dean of the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences. His last day is Friday. “These are difficult times. There are challenges we haven’t faced before… I’d be more comfortable if you had someone who had quite a bit of experience in the profession.”

In an email sent to LAS faculty, Brown said he is “slightly concerned” with references in the update to applicants from outside of higher education.

“I concur with statements several of you have made in conversations through the past few weeks, suggesting that the best possible outcome will be found if we locate an individual with considerable experience in higher education,” Brown said in the email.

Brown said he does not believe there is currently a high possibility for a president with no experience in higher education to be appointed, but he does urge faculty and students to “keep an eye on” the situation.

“I don’t think it’s appropriate to focus on those who are outside of higher education that have submitted applications,” Wynn said, “because they’ve not been selected – they have been encouraged to submit, and I’m not sure that they are the best qualified. I don’t want anybody jumping to conclusions.”

Currently, the Kansas Board of Regents plans to appoint a new president by January or February 2012, according to Wynn.

“That sure seems awfully ambitious to me,” Brown said. “If they can pull that off, that’s wonderful – I think that’d be great… I’ll be impressed if they pull it off.”

Brown said from his own experiences, searches like this do not generally move as quickly as ESU’s search hopes to progress, but Wynn said he was confident that the search committee would not need to extend the timeline.

Brown said the primary role of any higher education institution is teaching students, but there are additional responsibilities like interacting with the community. Above all else, Brown said the university president must be able to comprehend the various facets of higher education.

“I’m not saying you can’t find someone outside of education who has those understandings,” Brown said. “It just seems like it would be more likely with someone who has experience in education.”

Steve Catt, professor and chair of the communication and theater department and subcommittee chair for the presidential search committee, said he is not concerned with how the search is progressing.

“Anyone who has a concern with what might happen, I think that’s just anxiety talking,” Catt said. “There’s nothing going on that’s led to any type of concern over what type of person will be hired.”

Catt said the search committee has been directed to refer all media calls to Vanessa Lamoreaux, associate director of communications for KBOR. The Bulletin was unable to contact Lamoreaux by press time on Wednesday.

“At the end of the day, I think we all want to pick someone that’s going to move the university forward,” Wynn said.

Kenzie Templeton

With Lane gone, presidential search begins

Written by Bulletin Staff
Friday, 19 August 2011 12:20
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H. Edward Flentje, a 1964 ESU grad, took the helm as interim president in July. Flentje was appointed by the Kansas Board of Regents after former president Michael Lane announced his resignation last May. Kenzie Templeton/The Bulletin

The search for a new Emporia State president is under way after Michael Lane unexpectedly announced his resignation in May.

Lane, who was selected by the Kansas Board of Regents as Emporia State’s 15th President, began his presidency Nov. 1, 2006. His last day as president was June 30, making his tenure a bit more than four and one-half years.

The Kansas Board of Regents named H. Edward Flentje, a professor at Wichita State University’s Hugo Wall School of Urban and Public Affairs, as interim president. An ESU presidential search committee, headed by former regent Deryl Wynn, is expected to complete its work by the end of the year.

Lane announced his resignation via a mass email to campus.

“When I interviewed with another campus over fall break last year, it was because I was nominated, and I was curious about the opportunity on a campus that was private,” Lane wrote in the BuzzIn annoucement. “The act of visiting the other campus, however, has caused many to question my commitment to ESU.”

Lane was named a finalist in the presidential search at Millikin University in Decatur, Ill. last fall, but ultimately withdrew his name from the running.

Vanessa Lamoreaux, a spokeswoman for the Kansas Board of Regents, declined comment Wednesday when asked by The Bulletin on whether Lane was asked to resign. ESU Provost Tes Mehring said the administration had no indication of Lane’s decision to step down prior to the BuzzIn announcement.

Mehring said Lane’s presidential candidacy at another campus may have been a suggestion that Lane was planning to move on from ESU, but her personal belief is that Lane was not necessarily looking for employment elsewhere.

“I think that happened to be an opportunity that came along that he was heavily recruited for,” Mehring said. She added that Lane may have been attracted to the culture of a private school over a public institution.

When asked for an interview with The Bulletin, Lane responded the following in an email on Aug. 9: “I am not available for this week or most of next week due to off campus commitments. I am happy to discuss the future. My press release gave all the information on my resignation.”

The Bulletin was unable to obtain an interview with Lane before press time on Wednesday.

Last week Lane moved out of the presidential residence at 1522 Highland, where he lived free of charge under his contract with ESU.

Currently, Lane is on assignment with the Kansas Board of Regents but will begin his duties as a professor of accounting and information systems in January 2012. His wife, Peggy Lane, is chair of the department.

“Personally, I believe Dr. Lane is brilliant, and I hope that his successor would be brilliant as well,” Mehring said. “I’ve been here 30 years so I know a lot about our institution, and I would frequently be very impressed with his breadth and depth of knowledge… whoever follows his footsteps are going to have to know their stuff.”

***
The Presidential Search Committee is comprised of 19 members representing groups within ESU and the Emporia community, including past president of ASG, Jonathan Rivers, and current ASG president Ashley Vogts. The committee will identify three to five finalists who will then be recommended to the Kansas Board of Regents for final selection.

“The students are the life blood of the campus,” Rivers said. “For that reason I believe having their perspective, thoughts, questions and concerns front and center is incredibly important.”

Deryl Wynn, chair of the committee, said the national search is currently focused on finding candidates who fit the criteria set forth and that the committee is not looking for those who simply want to build their resumes.

“My goal is to get the right person,” Wynn said. “We want serious candidates… this is a unique place – anyone could be successful here.”

Wynn – a former regent and a Kansas City, Kan., attorney – also said that the committee is looking for a president who can make a long-term commitment to ESU and will value its diverse student population.

Mehring said the new president needs to have academic credentials as well as an understanding of what ESU is all about and should respect faculty and staff.

“I think all institutions want a president who can literally walk on water,” Mehring said.

Wynn said the goal is for the regents to announce a new president by January and that ESU is being presented to candidates as a “worthwhile, Midwestern university with a long history of success in several disciplines.”

“When prospective candidates begin to step onto the campus in the fall, I would highly encourage students to ask questions, make comments, voice their concerns and do whatever they can to stay informed and knowledgeable about how the process is moving forward,” Rivers said. “These candidates need to know just exactly what Emporia State University students care about.”

***

When he took over as interim president in July, Flentje already had a history with Emporia State.

A 1964 education-mathematics and physical science graduate and member of the Alpha Kappa Lambda fraternity at the time, Flentje said he was highly influenced by the atmosphere and faculty at the university.

“I care about Emporia State,” Flentje said. “The university faculty and staff here made a difference in my life.”

Flentje was also a member of the 2010 class of Distinguished Alumni and has been a professor at Wichita State University’s Hugo Wall School of Urban and Public Affairs since 1979. He also served as interim city manager for the City of Wichita in 2008 and served in the cabinets of two Kansas governors, Robert Bennett and Mike Hayden, and worked for U.S. Senator Jim Pearson.

Currently, Flentje is on a leave of absence from WSU, but he will continue to teach a Wednesday night class while he serves as ESU’s interim president. Flentje will not be a presidential candidate but will return to WSU once his commitment to ESU is fulfilled in January.

Flentje said that he would like for faculty, staff and students to know that he is “one of them.”

“Most of my experience over the last 30-some years has been as a faculty member, and hopefully I understand a little bit about that role and the importance of it,” Flentje said. “I came here 51 years ago, a small town kid… and this was a good environment for me, a very hospitable environment.”

Flentje’s full resume can be found on the Kansas Board of Regents’ website at kansasregents.com.

Kenzie Templeton

Faculty want new president to promote, value ESU

Written by Kenzie Templeton
Wednesday, 22 June 2011 21:20
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As the end of President Michael Lane’s term approaches, desirable qualities and personal character traits of Emporia State’s potential next president was the topic of discussion this morning in a meeting with Deryl Wynn, chair of the ESU presidential search committee. Ten faculty members representing various departments met with Wynn to weigh in on the search for candidates.

“This person has to relate to other (university) presidents and to the Regents that this is what ESU is about and not let the big two or three (universities) manhandle Emporia State and make us look like fools,” said Joella Mehrhof, past president of Faculty Senate and professor of health and physical education.

Other faculty said that in order to fully appreciate the university as a whole and to be able to advocate for ESU’s needs at the state level, an ideal president should have previous experience on both ends of education, both learning and teaching.

“It is very hard to have real value for something that you find ridiculous or alien, and I think that’s the danger of getting someone with no professional academic experience,” said Cynthia Patton, associate professor of English.

Rob Catlett, professor of economics, said that students and faculty need to have a greater opportunity to participate in the selection process than they have had in the past.

“We don’t want somebody who is just trying to build a resume,” Catlett said. “What we really would value is somebody who has some vision, who has some listening skills and tries to find a strategic way for us to move into the next phase of what the university might need.”

John Dougherty, internal auditor for ESU, said one of the hardest things a university president has to do is to be able to translate the university’s inner-workings to people in different professional fields and to relate to these same people on a personal level. He said the potential candidate must be able to approach the state legislature without appearing “arrogant and inconsiderate of the pressures on the legislature” and must also make the case that higher education is an investment for the state.

“The president does not own the university, the university existed long before any individual president and the university will continue long after any individual presidents,” Patton said. “Surely there’s some value in that permanence – it would be nice to have a president who believed that.”

On July 1, Edward Flentje, 1964 grad and 2010 Distinguished Alumni, will take over as interim president until the Kansas Board of Regents names a new president.

Kenzie Templeton