Search continues for new 21st Century Project head

Officials said the undergraduate education initiative will not lose momentum while they seek a new director for it. Two days after Provost Stanley Chodorow's hand-picked appointee to head the 21st Century Project on undergraduate education declined the post, Chodorow said he will try to fill the position temporarily until a permanent director is selected. On Friday, Chodorow had appointed Julia Aguilar, coordinator of Spanish language instruction, to fill the key academic post, but Aguilar declined the position one day later. "I'm thinking of getting someone to step in on a temporary basis if we can't find someone right away," Chodorow said, adding that he began to approach people about the possibility yesterday. And while the position remains unfilled, Chodorow said he and others in his office have divided many of the responsibilities associated with the position among themselves. "We are doing as much as possible and trying to carry on," Chodorow said. "Nothing is set back, but it might make it harder on all of us." Chodorow would not comment on whether Aguilar had already accepted the position before he made the Friday announcement of her appointment. "It was unfortunate [that Aguilar decided not to take the position]," Chodorow said. "I don't regret announcing the position -- not everything in life turns out as you expect it to." And he stressed that the search for a coordinator to fill the vacancy created when Susan Albertine left the position last July has been "re-opened and renewed," adding that a pool of candidates remains under consideration for the permanent post and that additional people will likely be added to that list. But he noted that he is uncertain about the likelihood of finding someone willing to take on the duties in an interim capacity. "It isn't a matter of having a whole group of people who have nothing to do, to whom you can turn," he said. "We'd have to find someone willing to take on this extra burden, provided that person isn't over-burdened already," he said. While Chodorow emphasized that finding a permanent appointee immediately is "the most important thing," he said he could not estimate how long the search will continue or when he expects the position to be filled. Aguilar refused to elaborate on why she turned down the job beyond saying it was for "personal reasons," and Chodorow said he would not speculate on her reasoning. The 21st Century Project is the University administration's broad academic initiative to incorporate incorporate research opportunities for undergraduates and emphasize interdisciplinary study. Although the search for a coordinator has suffered a setback, Chodorow insists that the project itself has not lost momentum. Roger Allen, who coordinates the recently launched Foreign Languages Across the Curriculum initiative -- a part of the 21st Century Project -- said implementation of FLAC is still on schedule. "Much of what was proposed has gone into phase two -- we're now in start-up of implementation and we're off and running," he said. But the need for a liaison and communicator makes filling the position crucial, Allen said. "With an initiative like this, it's very important to have someone who will serve as a communicator from the provost's office downwards and from implementors upwards," he said. "It's important to have someone in the position as an administrator and also a diplomat." Chodorow said yesterday that academic advising initiatives are "waiting for action." He will assume responsibility for the residential components of the project. "I really have a lot of confidence that we will find a good person," Chodorow said. "We've been set back in our search, but I am completely confident we will find a first-class person."