Hunt for president continues
Deck
by Nyshicka Jordan
Staff Reporter

The presidential advisory search committee for Brite Divinity School should begin reviewing presidential candidates in a meeting planed for Feb. 5, said committee member Toni Craven.

Craven, professor of Hebrew Bible, said the goal is for the committee to have this process done by April so the executive committee of the Brite board can make the final decision. Brite has been without a president since former president Leo Perdue stepped down last spring to return to full-time teaching, Craven said.

Duane Cummins has served as the interim president for Brite since last semester. Craven said he is not a candidate and that the committee has no other candidates at this time.

“The job of the committee is to review candidates who will surface, and recommend to the board a candidate or candidates who we think will be wonderful for the job, and the interview process will be held with the faculty and the board,” Craven said.

According to the Brite Web site, the responsibilities of the president include serving as the chief executive officer of management and of financial services. He or she is responsible for formulating a vision of theological education and must also have values of the Christian Church heritage, according to the Web site.

“Leadership in an institution is of great significance in shaping the future and enabling us to become the best we can as a Divinity School within a university,” Craven said.

The committee, which consists of five Brite trustees, five Brite faculty members, one former student and one current student, has finished creating the list of characteristics the Brite community wants in a president, Craven said. She said each committee member played a role in talking with his or her peers to find out what their desires were.

“What we were charged to do was to work together to talk about what the various constituents that we represent were interested in terms of the roles of president,” Craven said.

Chris Helton, a fourth-year Master of Divinity student, said he hopes that the next president will continue what he believes was former President Perdue’s commitment to promoting diversity within the school. He said Perdue did a good job of diversifying the staff with more women and minorities.

“That is something I really appreciate about the school,” Helton said.
Helton said diversity is important because the church should learn how to function in a world that is diverse. He said he also hopes the next president takes “an open and affirming stance” toward homosexuals and continue to promote courses that explore issues of sexual orientation.

Nyshicka Jordan
n.d.jordan@tcu.edu

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