Search for new Sloss House director narrows

Tara Deering
November 12, 1997

The search for a new director of the Margaret Sloss Women’s Center has been narrowed down to three candidates.

The three candidates include Lisa Enloe, interim director of the center; Alison Rutledge, a psychologist with Southwest Iowa Mental Health Center in Atlantic; and Pamela Sue Thomas, assistant dean of students and director of multicultural affairs at Kenvon College in Gambier, Ohio.

During the next two weeks, the three candidates will meet the Iowa State community in open forums.

Dean of Students Kathleen MacKay and Assistant Provost Faye Whitaker will make the final decision on who will become the next director of the Women’s Center. But MacKay said the opinions of the search committee, faculty and students will be heavily considered when making their decision.

MacKay said the search committee was not formed until early August because they wanted to wait until everyone returned for the fall semester.

Whitaker said the new director of the Women’s Center must be someone who can carry out the programs offered through the center and can develop new programs to reach new constituents.

“We’re hoping the individual skills that the new person will bring can contribute to the Center,” Whitaker said.

To help students get better acquainted with the candidates, there will be two open forums which they can attend.

One is the university open forum, which is open to the public. MacKay said the candidates will give a 20-minute presentation that pertains to the job, which will be followed by a 40-minute question and answer period.

“It’s really, really important to me that we get a lot of feedback from students,” MacKay said. “What’s great is that these candidates all want to meet with students.”

She said there will be evaluations for everyone to fill out at the end of the forum.

Whitaker also emphasized the importance of student involvement through the open forums. “If [the students] can’t see them all, a response on any one candidate will be appreciated,” she said.

MacKay said the forums designated only for students will be less structured and more conversational than the university forums.

“Our hope is that we will get responses from the people who attend the open forums and then the search committee will meet and decide their recommendation,” Whitaker said. After the recommendation is made, she and MacKay will make the final decision.

Whitaker said the new director of the Women’s Center should be announced by late December.

Iowa State Women’s Center

Scheduled times to meet the three candidates for director of the Women’s Center.

Alison Rutledge

University open forum, 9 a.m., Thursday Nov. 13

Gallery, Memorial Union

Student open forum, 4 p.m., Thursday Nov. 13

Sloss House

Lisa Enloe

University open forum, 2 p.m., Tuesday Nov. 18

Gold Room, Memorial Union

Student open forum, 4 p.m., Tuesday Nov. 18