Mills withdraws from pres. consideration
Vice chancellor says goals were better met here
By Sarah Krebs
Staff Reporter

Vice Chancellor of Student Affairs Don Mills said Monday he was withdrawing as a candidate for the presidency of Barton College in Wilson, N.C.

“I am announcing that I have withdrawn my name from further consideration by Barton College,” Mills said in an e-mail. “After serious soul searching, (my wife) Mitzi and I decided that our long-range goals will be better met at TCU and in Fort Worth.”

Mills was one of three finalists out of 84 applicants for the president position at Barton College. Mills visited the college from Tuesday to Thursday and met students, faculty and administrators at a dinner Wednesday.

“There are a lot of things I haven’t done yet at TCU,” Mills said.

K.D. Kennedy, chairman of the search committee for Barton College, said the position did not quite fit Mills.

“Don has been at a big college since 1969, and he saw that he wouldn’t fit as well at Barton,” Kennedy said. “He’s a very good man; he is smart and does a good job at TCU.”

Kennedy said the other two candidates had small college training and were better fitted for the job.

“I wish (Mills) the best in the future,” Kennedy said.

Mills said he made the decision because the longer he and his wife looked at what it would take to move from Fort Worth, the more they wanted to stay close to their family.

“We didn’t feel like Barton College would be able to meet our goals and we realized we loved the people at TCU,” Mills said. “We asked ourselves ‘What are we doing?’”

The delay of the final decision on the president gave Mills and his family more time to discuss the pros and cons of leaving TCU, Mills said.

“I would definitely like to be president if the right opportunity comes along and maybe is closer to Fort Worth,” Mills said.

Judge Sydney Eagles, chairman of the Barton College Board and member of the search committee, said Mills was an extremely qualified candidate and that he will bring a lot of talent to wherever he ends up working.

Eagles said the committee discussed most of Saturday about which candidate they wanted to choose, but still had not made a final decision.

“Each candidate had strong boosters from the search committee,” Eagles said. “It’s hard not to be behind a certain one.”

Mills said he informed a Barton College trustee of his decision to withdraw and that the trustee said it had been a wonderful opportunity for both Barton College and Mills.

s.d.krebs@tcu.edu