Jairdin Engen | Assistant News Editor

In October of 2013 a campus-wide email from President Fred Moore announced that former Vice President of Student Affairs and Dean of Students Dr. Meg McKeon would be leaving BVU. This announcement came as a shock to students and faculty who had no indication that any changes would be made regarding this position. Since then, Buena Vista University (BVU) has been scouring candidates from across the nation to fill the positions left vacant by her departure.

With help from a local hiring firm, Moore has been asking for applications and nominations nationwide. The team ended up with 31 possible candidates. The team is chaired by President Moore and includes numerous influential people from campus as well as those affected by the decision, which includes students as well as faculty.

“There is student representation. The president of Student Senate is on the team, and we’ve got a good mix of faculty and staff as well,” Moore said.

According to President Moore, the team has been looking for a number of traits in the new recruits. The position is a leadership post, and Moore wants to be sure that the applicant is capable of handling the tasks assigned to them. He wants to makes sure that the Office of Student Affairs will be comfortable for the students, as well as effective. He also wants to be sure that the new hire will be able to mentor, and says that having previous experience at a private college or in the Midwest is a plus. Most important to Moore is that the candidate is transparent, and has good ethics, listening skills, and the ability to collaborate.

Moore said, “It’s all about trusting relationships, and so we want a person who knows how to build trusting relationships, first and foremost with students but also with colleagues on the staff and with the faculty.”

In order to find the perfect recruit, the team started off by screening the resumes and cover letters of the applicants and talking to them individually. They then held a group interview and conference call on Feb. 13, and the candidates will have other interviews over Skype throughout the week. If they make the cut, President Moore hopes that they will be moving on to campus visits and tours next month.

While at the campus, candidates will see much of what the university has to offer, as well as how they will fit in on campus. President Moore says that many of them likely already have a good idea of what they’ll be doing, so the visit will be mainly about finding out how they fit in at the campus as people. They will be able to see if their ideas and direction fit with those of the University and, as such assess their compatibility with the BVU campus.

President Moore is sure that the students will be wonderful and represent BVU well while the candidates are on campus. He is grateful for the team that has stepped up and helped the search to go smoothly and hold the fort together, as well as to the firm, which has been incredibly helpful. Moore is hopeful that an offer will be sent out during the next month, and that the newest addition to the BVU staff will be able to start during the summer.

Graphic by Aaron Burns