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K-State Today

April 17, 2012

Two finalists to be interviewed for the position of CEO and dean of K-State Salina

Submitted by Ali Malekzadeh

Two finalists have been identified for the position of CEO and dean of K-State Salina.

Ali Malekzadeh, dean of K-State's College of Business Administration and chair of the search committee, said the finalists are: Mohammed Ghriga, dean, School of Business, Public Administration and Information Sciences at Long Island University in Brooklyn, N.Y.; and Verna Fitzsimmons, coordinator of applied science and technology in the College of Applied Engineering, Sustainability and Technology at Kent State University, Kent, Ohio.

"The search committee has worked very hard to identify quality candidates and believes these candidates in particular stood out as having the necessary qualifications and experience for this key position at K-State," Malekzadeh said. "The pool was highly competitive, and we look forward to learning more about each of these candidates when they visit our campus."

April Mason, provost and senior vice president, said she is eager to hire a CEO and dean who is committed to being involved in the Salina community and to continuing building upon the legacy of excellence established under the leadership of Dennis Kuhlman.

"It will be crucial to bring in an individual who can keep the K-State Salina campus moving forward as we implement our K-State 2025 visionary plan," Mason said. "Our ability to provide graduates in the aviation, engineering technology, financial planning and social work fields makes this a unique opportunity for our next CEO and dean."

The schedule of candidates will be:

  • Ghriga: April 25-27
  • Fitzsimmons: May 2-4

Each candidate will participate in a public forum scheduled for 2:30 to 4 p.m. on April 26 and May 3 in the College Center at K-State Salina. For those unable to attend in person, the presentations will be streamed live and archived for viewing later. The link for the public forum will be activated just before the scheduled start time and is posted on the provost's website with the full schedules and application materials for each candidate, www.k-state.edu/provost/searches.