The Dean of Students office is holding on-campus open forums for three candidates interested in filling the position of associate dean of students and director of minority student affairs.

Peter Englin, dean of students, said the person who fills the position will become part of a management team in the dean of students office.

He or she will be responsible for the Academic Success Center, the Student Support Services Program, the Special Retention Program, which includes the Hixson Program, the Multicultural Vision Program and National Student Exchange and the Minority Student Affairs Program, he said.

The office is looking for a candidate who can “articulate a vision for the retention of ethnic minorities and have experience doing so,” Englin said.

Applicants must also be student centered and effectively engage students in a way they feel comfortable, he said.

Leonard Perry, deputy executive director for Gates Millennium Scholars, United Negro College Fund in Fairfax, Va.; Belinda Dalton, director of student support services at Sauk Valley Community College in Dixon, Ill.; and Carolyn Brightharp, dean of students at Siena Heights University in Adrian, Mich.; are the three candidates the search committee has selected as finalists for the position.

“First and foremost, the candidates met the requirements and preferred qualifications,” said Rachel Hampton, who served on the search committee.

Each candidate will have a one-hour open forum to present their qualifications, which is open to the entire university community.

During the first 15 to 20 minutes of the forum, the candidate will discuss how he or she has personally “engaged in addressing the needs of at-risk students,” Englin said.

The remainder of the time will be used as a question and answer session.

Hampton, communication specialist for University Museums, said it is important to have the input of the community because “issues of diversity are important to the campus, president and university.

“The more involvement we can get, the better off we will be,” Hampton said.

Perry will speak from 10:30 to 11:30 a.m. Thursday in Room 0294 in Carver Hall; Dalton will present from 10:30 a.m. to 11:30 a.m. Friday in Room 0249 in Carver Hall and Brightharp will speak from 10:30 to 11:30 a.m. Monday in the Pioneer Room of the Memorial Union.