Ohio University named four finalists Thursday for the university’s president position.
The finalists include Pam Benoit, OU’s executive vice president and provost, and three current or past university presidents.
All four candidates are white, three are male and none were on the university’s list of applicants from November.
The four finalists are set to visit campus for open forums within the next two weeks.
“Finding our next president is an important decision for our community,” Board of Trustees Chair David Wolfort said. “The Open Forums are a vital part of the search process as it allows both the candidates and the university community to interact with one another and determine whether a specific appointment would be a good fit. Students, faculty, staff, alumni and members of the public are encouraged to attend.”
The finalists are:
Pam Benoit
Benoit has served as executive vice president and provost of OU since 2009. Before coming to OU, she worked as vice provost of Advanced Studies and dean of the Graduate School/Interim Dean of the Graduate School at the University of Missouri. She holds a Ph.D. in communication from Wayne State University. Her forum is scheduled for Jan. 17 from 4:30-6:30 p.m. All forums will take place in Baker Ballroom.
Dean Bresciani
Bresciani is the president of North Dakota State University, a position he has held since 2010. The university had a total of 14,432 students for Fall Semester. He also previously served as vice president for Student Affairs at Texas A&M University. He holds a Ph.D. of higher education-finance from the University of Arizona. His forum is scheduled for Jan. 12 from 4:30-6:30 p.m.
Robert Frank
Frank has served as the president of the University of New Mexico in Albuquerque, New Mexico, since 2012. The university had a total enrollment of 27,060 students for fall 2016. Previously, he served as provost and senior vice president for Academic Affairs at Kent State University. He holds a Ph.D. in clinical psychology from the University of New Mexico. His forum is scheduled for Jan. 13 from 4:30-6:30 p.m.
Duane Nellis
Nellis previously served as president of Texas Tech University and of the University of Idaho. Texas Tech had 36,551 total students in fall 2016. He currently serves as a university honors professor at Texas Tech. He holds a Ph.D. in geography from Oregon State University. His forum is scheduled for Jan. 10 from 4:30-6:30 p.m.
