East Carolina University is beginning the search for a position that will help make Chancellor Cecil Staton’s vision of bolstering research and outside funding a reality.
A group of 15 faculty and staff members have been chosen as the search committee for the position of Vice Chancellor for Research, Economic Development and Engagement.
The position was refashioned from that of the Vice Chancellor for Research and Graduate Studies in the summer of 2015 as a result of the reorganization of several ECU departments and offices. Michael Van Scott currently serves in the position on an interim basis.
Graduate studies has been removed from the position’s purview and now falls under the charge of Provost and Senior Vice Chancellor for Academic Affairs Ron Mitchelson and Vice Chancellor for Health Sciences Phyllis Horns.
In the first public meeting of the committee Thursday, Mitchelson spoke to committee members about what the position will entail. He said the person chosen must have familiarity with the facilitation and promotion of research, including the regulatory knowledge it requires.
“The ability to navigate regulatory environments is important, whether you’re talking about the use of animals or human beings in research or you’re talking about how do we expend money, how do the federal agencies give grants,” he said.
The division brings together numerous offices, including the offices of innovation and economic development, undergraduate research, and public service and community relations, among others.
“In so many ways, this position is important,” Mitchelson said. “From my perspective, it really does span the entire university.”
The name change will further link two key parts of ECU’s mission, economic development and public service. Through increased partnerships with businesses and its new Miller School of Entrepreneurship, the university hopes to create a culture of innovation among students and faculty, Mitchelson said.
“We want new products, we want new processes to flow out of this university and to create new small businesses,” he said.
He said increased activity in research and economic development would help the university reach the goal set by Staton to double extramural funding in the next five years.
“The chancellor’s pretty insistent on increasing our funding levels, which has direct economic consequences: it’s job creating,” Mitchelson said.
The committee will be aided in its search by the firm CarterBaldwin, an Atlanta-based company that has worked on many ECU projects, including the ongoing search for the Brody School of Medicine’s next dean.
CarterBaldwin partner Bill Peterson presented the committee with a rough timeline for the search. The committee plans to present three candidates to the chancellor in February, with a public announcement tentatively scheduled for March.
Email Holly West or call at 252-329-9585.
Committee members
- Chair Ron Mitchelson, provost and senior vice chancellor for academic affairs
- Wanda Wynne, assistant vice chancellor for administration in the Division of Research, Economic Development and Engagement
- Hiromi Sanders, Office of Research Integrity and Compliance
- Kenny Flowers, Office of Innovation and Economic Development
- Grant Hayes, dean of the College of Education
- Heather Wright, associate dean for research in the College of Allied Health Sciences
- Sharon Gordon, associate dean for research in the School of Dental Medicine
- Stacey Altman, department chair in the College of Health and Human Performance
- Joe McClung, Brody School of Medicine
- Margaret Bauer, Harriot College of Arts and Sciences
- Daniel Kariko, College of Fine Arts and Communication
- Elaine Scott, College of Nursing
- Tracy Tuten, College of Business
- John Chaffee, president of N.C. East Alliance
- Mark Copland, ECU trustee