WESTFIELD – The Westfield State University Presidential Search Advisory Committee has announced the three finalists who will be brought forward as candidates to serve as Westfield State University’s 20th president.
The finalists were selected at the recommendation of the presidential search advisory committee comprised of a cross-section of the campus community including members of the Board of Trustees, the Westfield State University Foundation, students, faculty, staff, and alumni. The search committee was assisted by Diversified Search, a professional search firm.
“The search process has been guided by a mission to identify an innovative and strategic thinker to build on Westfield State’s core strengths and lead the university toward a bright and sustainable future,” said Steven Marcus, search committee chair and board of trustee member. “Each finalist is a strong educator with a solid foundation in public higher education and the scope of leadership skills to excel as president of Westfield State.”
The candidates are individually scheduled to visit campus beginning this Monday, October 5 in two day blocks to meet with the campus community and key stakeholders. All meetings are open; locations and times will be posted to the Presidential Search webpage.
“We look forward to the next phase when each finalist will visit campus to communicate a vision and why he or she is best suited for the role of the president at this point in Westfield State University’s history,” said Marcus. “Following the selection, we look forward to implementing a smooth and seamless transition to new university leadership.”
The final selection of the candidate will take place by the Board of Trustees the week of October 19.
The finalists are listed alphabetically:
· Damian J. Fernandez, Ph.D., chief executive officer, head of school, Ethical Culture Fieldston School (New York, NY)
· Ramon S. Torrecilha, Ph.D., professor of sociology, former provost, vice president for Academic Affairs (Jan. 2012- July 2013) at California State University, Dominguez Hills
· Linda Vaden-Goad, Ph.D., provost, vice president for Academic Affairs at Framingham State University
