Search committees continue to pursue permanent replacements for several key administration vacancies.

Iowa State lacks permanent appointees for the dean of the College of Agriculture, vice provost for extension and dean of students. The positions are currently being filled on an interim basis.

Labh Hira, College of Agriculture dean search committee chairman, said the search is on schedule.

“We are still in the process of receiving applications and nominations,” he said. “It is a very prestigious position; we are anticipating several applicants.”

Hira, dean of the College of Business, declined comment on the amount of applications the committee has received, but said the academic field and agriculture industry were represented.

ISU President Gregory Geoffroy said finalists would visit campus in December and a successor would be named by January.

Hira said the committee would be able to meet the deadline.

“We hope to meet the president’s prescribed deadline for us,” he said.

Mark Engelbrecht, vice provost for extension search committee chairman, said applications are being reviewed, with finalists to be named by mid-November.

“We are making steady progress,” he said. “We are on track to meet our original objectives, which involve getting prospective candidates for visits by late autumn.”

Engelbrecht, dean of the College of Design, said the committee has considered more than 100 applications and nominations during the vice provost search.

“We ask for nominations from people throughout the country – both locally and even abroad – and then we chase them down to see if we can get them in the door,” he said.

Todd Holcomb, dean of students search committee chairman, said the committee continues to receive applications.

“The application initial review deadline is Oct. 14,” he said. “We’ll still accept applications until the position is filled.”

Holcomb, associate vice president for student affairs, said he has not reviewed any of the applications and hopes to have finalists visit campus by late November. He said he hopes to have the position filled by January.

“I tend to wait before all the applicants are in before I start reviewing them,” he said.

The new dean of students needs to be versatile across all facets of the university, Holcomb said.

“It has to be an individual that has a strong commitment to multiculturalism and diversity and an ability to interact with a wide variety of different offices and an individual that likes dealing with students and handling student conflict,” he said.