The group leading the search for Western Illinois University's next president has narrowed the field of candidates to six.
The list of finalists:
- Dr. Martin Abraham, who has served as Western’s interim president since July of last year
- Bahman Ghorashi, former provost and vice president for academic affairs, Tennessee Tech University
- Cady Short-Thompson, provost, Hope College (Holland, MI)
- Steve Michael, executive vice president for academic affairs and provost, Charles R. Drew University of Medicine and Science, Los Angeles (CA)
- Michael Shonrock, dean of faculty, Center for Leadership Development, U.S. Office of Personnel Management, Washington, D.C.
- Guiyou Huang, president, Edinboro University of Pennsylvania
More details about the finalists can be found here.
The six finalists will participate in virtual on-campus interviews beginning next week. Open sessions for each candidate will be held via Zoom. Anyone wishing to participate must register with the university. You can do so here.
The person chosen will become the 12th president in Western’s history. The previous president, Dr. Jack Thomas, stepped down at the end of June, 2019. Thomas is now the president of Central State University in Wilberforce, Ohio.
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