U. still searching for chief financial officer

The search for a new executive vice president of the University is on, but it appears the post will not be filled in the near future, members of the President Sheldon Hackney's staff said last week. The attempt to find a replacement for Marna Whittington -- who left her position at the end of September after an eight-year career at the University -- has already gone past the 90 days that the administration originally predicted the search would take. Executive Assistant to the President Linda Hyatt said at least 12 candidates have been interviewed during visits to the University and said the administration is not accepting any new candidates. Undergraduate Assembly Chairperson Jeff Lichtman said last night that he and Graduate and Professional Student Assembly Chairperson Allen Orsi will be meeting with a candidate on Monday and will make recommendations to Hyatt. The meeting will be the first time Lichtman will meet with a candidate and said he assumes this candidate is the farthest along in the interview process. Hyatt said the University is "in the later stages of the search," but said she does not know when the position will be filled. The search is taking longer than originally expected, she said, because three weeks were lost during the holidays last month. Efforts to find a replacement for Whittington are being conducted jointly by University officials and an outside Philadelphia consulting firm, Diversified Search Companies. Candidates being considered for the chief financial officer position come from the corporate world, government and academia, Hyatt said. She said there are "a few" candidates who are already affiliated with the University, but would not specify who they are. Lichtman said the candidate he is meeting with is unaffiliated with the University. Hyatt said nominations have been made by the search firm, faculty members, trustees and presidents of other universities, and others have nominated themselves. Administrators -- including the president, provost and other vice presidents -- faculty members and the chairpersons of the UA and GAPSA will meet with candidates before a final decision is made, Hyatt said. Since Whittington's fall departure, John Gould, executive director of the president's office, has been acting executive vice president.