Board expected to vote today on Boschini as new chancellor
By Jacque Nguyen
Staff Reporter

Vic Boschini Jr. is expected to be formally introduced as the new chancellor at a press conference this afternoon following a special Board of Trustees meeting and a vote, trustees say.

Trustee Edgar H. Schollmaier said that at the meeting the Board will discuss the choice for new chancellor and afterwards will make a final vote on Boschini, Illinois State University president.

“We’re going forward with it,” Schollmaier said.

From a group of three final candidates, the executive committee of the Board has chosen Boschini as the final candidate for chancellor, said Nowell Donovan, a geology professor and search committee member.

Schollmaier, who is also on the search committee, said the committee was happy and excited with Boschini as the candidate. He said he hopes the Board votes enthusiastically for Boschini’s appointment.

Trustee J. Roger Williams said he is confident with the search committee’s choice and said the members have made the right decision.

“(Today) will be an exciting day for TCU,” Williams said.

Anne VanBeber, chairwoman of the nutritional sciences department, said Boschini met with the academic chairmen and chairwomen for the first time Wednesday at a luncheon.

She said Boschini told those in attendance he was impressed with Fort Worth and that he hopes this will be his final career move.

She said he has visited Fort Worth three different times before Wednesday, but said he was not able to go into any of the campus’ buildings. University officials did not want faculty members to meet him until the decision for the final candidate was made, she said.

Chris Sawyer, chairman of the speech communication department, said the purpose of the luncheon was to get to know the chairmen and chairwomen and draw input from them in order to learn what TCU needs to move forward.

“One of the first things he asked us was, ‘What’s the first thing I should do?’,” Sawyer said.

Several professors, including Sawyer, said the university will see many similarities between Boschini and Chancellor Michael Ferrari in terms of his open, engaging and friendly style of communication and his approachability.

Some professors are still guarded and skeptical because of the possible changes that could be made to their departments, said VanBeber.
“Change can be threatening,” she said.

Boschini became the 16th president of ISU in 1999 and is an associate professor in the educational administration and foundations department in the College of Education. He originally came to ISU in 1997 as vice president for student affairs.

According to the ISU Web site, ISU launched a five-year fund-raising campaign, Redefining “normal:” The Campaign for Illinois State University in 2000. As of Dec. 1, 2002, commitments to campaign priorities, endowment, capital projects and the annual fund had exceeded $60 million.

Jay Groves, director of media relations at ISU, said Boschini is outstanding at cultivating relationships to the university with businesses, alumni and lawmakers.

Jacque Nguyen
j.f.nguyen@tcu.edu

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TCU Daily Skiff © 2003