The first of five candidates being interviewed for the position of Dean at Ohio University Southern will be on campus Monday

English Professor and Dean Search Committee Chair Hayley Haugen said all five candidates possess the necessary qualifications.

“Five years of administrative experience in higher education, substantial leadership experience, an earned doctorate, and a record of college-level teaching and scholarly achievement sufficient to qualify for a tenured appointment at the associate or full professor rank,” is required, Haugen said. “The candidate must be committed to maintaining our collaborative workplace and to furthering the mission of the regional campuses, which emphasizes innovative education, teaching excellence, scholarship, and diversity. The candidate should also have knowledge of technological applications, distance learning, economic development and fundraising.”

Dan Evans has served as interim dean at OUS since June 2013 after William Willan was named Executive Dean for Regional Higher Education.

Several items are on each of the candidates’ agendas for their visits to Lawrence County.

“During the candidate’s visits, each of the five will spend their first day on the Southern and Proctorville campuses,” Haugen said. “They will meet with Interim Dean Dan Evans, Associate Dean Ella Jones and Proctorville Director Stephanie Burcham.”

Candidates will have lots of opportunity to interact with the search committee and faculty, staff and students on the Southern campus. Haugen said they will also present a formal presentation to the campus about their leadership style and their vision for OUS.

“On the second day of their visit, the candidates will travel to the Athens campus to meet with all of the regional deans, Regional Higher Education Executive Dean Bill Willan and Provost Pam Benoit,” Haugen added.

The candidates for the position are:

• Dr. Jay Albayyari — He currently serves as the associate vice chancellor for research, engagement and sponsored programs at Indiana University-Purdue University Fort Wayne (IPFW). Prior to that, he was an associate dean and a department chair in the college of engineering, technology and computer science at IPFW.

Prior to joining IPFW, Albayyari served as a professor of engineering Technology at Eastern Michigan University and is a former assistant professor of manufacturing engineering technology at Northern Kentucky University.

• Dr. Fran Dickson — She is currently a full professor and department chair of the department of communication studies at Chapman University in Orange, Calif.

Prior to that appointment, she was a full professor at the University of Denver and member of the department of human communication studies for 17 years. During her tenure there, she served as the director of graduate studies, department chair and director of the wellness living and learning community.

• Dr. Douglas Fiore — He is currently an associate provost for extended education, assistant provost for general and continuing education and a professor of pducation at Virginia State University.

His career includes various leadership positions across multiple levels of education. Fiore is also a recent graduate of the Society for College and University Planning’s Institute of Planning.

• Dr. Donald Fuller — He is currently a professor of communication disorders in the department of communication disorders at Eastern Washington University and completed a second, four-year term as chair of that department in 2012.

Prior to that he was the founding chair of the department of speech-language pathology at College Misericordia (now Misericordia University), where he created a five-year combined undergraduate/graduate program in speech-language pathology.

He also worked with the Pennsylvania Department of Education to gain approval for the graduate program and to offer a curriculum leading to certification of students for public school instruction.

• Dr. Nicole Pennington — She is currently the associate director and associate professor of nursing at Ohio University Southern.

Prior to that, she was a charge nurse for a 40-bed acute care medical-surgical unit at King’s Daughters Medical Center in Ashland, Ky., and served in that capacity for various nursing units for six years. Earlier in her career, Ms. Pennington was a health coordinator for a large school district.

OUS Marketing and Public Information Officer Shelly Betz said campus visits by the candidates will continue through March 24.