Georgia Southern University Presidential Finalist Raymond W. Alden III, Ph.D. to Visit Campus

September 29, 2009

Raymond W. Alden III, Ph.D., a finalist in the Georgia Southern University Presidential Search, will visit the University campus later this week.

Alden is one of several finalists who have visited the University and the Statesboro area during the search for Georgia Southern’s 12^{th President. His visit will include meetings and interviews with University officials and open forums for the campus and community.www.georgiasouthern.edu. Note to Media: Media will be allowed to cover the campus/community forum. However, videotaping will only be allowed for the first five minutes of the candidate’s presentation. The candidate will not be available for interviews.}

Alden has served in administrative leadership positions at three rapidly developing public universities: Northern Illinois University (NIU), University of Nevada Las Vegas (UNLV) and Old Dominion University (ODU). He is currently the Executive Vice President and Provost (EVP/P) at NIU. While NIU has a long history of excellence in higher education (since 1895), it has rapidly developed from a comprehensive Masters’ I institution to a Doctoral/Research-Extensive University (now classified as a Carnegie Doctoral/Research-High University and a Community Engagement University), with four satellite centers and a field station. NIU has approximately 25,000 students, with approximately 6,000 at the graduate level, and more than 4000 faculty and staff.

In his current role, Alden has administrative oversight for seven academic colleges, the Graduate School, the Honors Program, the Office of Academic Affairs, the Office of Research, the Division of Student Affairs and Enrollment Management, the Division of International Programs, the University Libraries, the University Press and a number of programs dedicated to faculty/staff professional development and student success.

Dr. Alden served for more than six years as EVP/P at UNLV. At the time, UNLV was one of the fastest growing and most rapidly developing institutions in the country. He had oversight over 11 colleges, three professional schools, two academic divisions, as well as offices responsible for research, information technology, libraries, faculty support and student success.

At ODU, Alden served for 15 years as director of a multidisciplinary environmental research and education program that generated more than $50M of grants/contracts from public and private sector sources.

Alden served as a postdoctoral fellow and a visiting faculty member with the University of North Carolina. He has a Ph.D. in Zoology from the University of Florida and a B.A./B.S. in Biology from Stetson University. He has been inducted into four academic honor societies, has received several commendations for excellence, has served in leadership roles of national higher education organizations, has been an editor for three professional publications and has served as scientific advisor to numerous state and Federal agencies, including service as an expert witness for a U.S. Congressional subcommittee.

The Community Open Forum will be held Thursday Oct. 1 from 4:00 p.m.-5:30 p.m. in Georgia Southern’s Performing Arts Center. Members of the community are invited to attend.

The finalists’ visit to campus is the last step in the initial phase of the Presidential Search process. The University System of Georgia Board of Regents formed a Presidential Search and Screen Committee made up of Georgia Southern faculty, staff, and student leaders and members of the local community.

A nationwide search of candidates was conducted and the Search Committee reviewed the qualifications of the applicants. After on-campus interviews are completed, the campus committee will forward the credentials of three to five unranked candidates to a Special Regents’ Search Committee for the second phase of the search.

Regents Felton Jenkins, William H. NeSmith Jr., Benjamin J. Tarbutton III and Richard L. Tucker serve as members of the Special Regents’ Search Committee chaired by Regent Donald M. Leebern, Jr. This committee is responsible for recommending finalists to Chancellor Erroll B. Davis Jr., who will make a recommendation to the full Board of Regents.

Georgia Southern University, a Carnegie Doctoral/Research University, offers 115 degree programs serving 19,000 students. Through eight colleges, the University offers bachelors, masters, and doctoral degree programs built on more than a century of academic achievement. The University, one of Georgia’s largest, is a top choice of Georgia’s HOPE scholars and is recognized for its student-centered approach to education.