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Saigo set to decide on VP
SCSU is expected to have a new vice president for university advancement within the next few weeks.
While David Williams, Jill Rudnitski and James Stigman were chosen as the three finalists for the position, the field has been narrowed down to two candidates as Stigman unexpectedly withdrew Feb. 17.
"I love St. Cloud State University," Stigman said, "but as much as I do, I just made a decision that it wasn't where I needed to be at this time in my life. I have a successfully growing business and I want to continue to focus on that."
Stigman was director of alumni relations and annual giving at SCSU from 1996 until 2001, when he resigned due to a family health crisis. Stigman said his decision to withdraw from the candidacy did not have anything to do with SCSU, but was about where he is in his life, and where he is heading. He said he wants to continue to grow Freedom Solutions, his business, but that he also would like to get involved again with SCSU at some point.
"I'd like to in some way be involved with the alumni program," Stigman said. "I think there's some exciting things happening with the athletic program and specifically we have another campaign that is off somewhere in the future for our foundation, and I hopefully can play a role in that."
Steve Ludwig, interim vice president of administrative affairs, said Stigman cited only "personal reasons" for withdrawing his candidacy.
The search committee, headed by Ludwig, met Friday to discuss the two candidates and choose who would fit best as the new vice president. A recommendation would then be made to SCSU President Roy Saigo, who will make the final decision.
"We'll be making a recommendation to the president as to how to proceed from here," Ludwig said.
It can take anywhere from a few days to a few weeks before that decision is made public.
"(The president) usually has to think about it for a while," Ludwig said.
If Saigo approves the candidate, Ludwig said the candidate often takes some of his or her own time to think about whether they will take the job. What the candidate's family thinks can also play an important role.
"The candidate, if (he or she) agrees to take (the job), figures they want a chance to notify people," Ludwig said, "so (for example) their employer doesn't read about it in the paper. Depending on how the negotiations go, it could take as little as a week or maybe two or three weeks."
Ludwig said the vice president for university advancement is the executive director for the foundation at SCSU. In addition, this vice president oversees alumni activities, university communications, including marketing, publications and sports information and campus radio station KVSC. The person appointed to this position will be permanent, as opposed to an interim vice president. So far, Ludwig said, the process has gone well.
"In general I'm very happy with the process and the pool of candidates that we've had," he said.
The vice president for university advancement will not be the only vice presidential position SCSU is hiring for in the coming year. Ludwig said a committee was recently formed to begin looking for a permanent vice president for academic affairs. Currently, Ruth Meyer occupies the post in an interim capacity.
Ludwig said the university would probably begin looking for a permanent vice president for his position in the fall, although that is up to the president.
"The president is kind of directing what we do one at a time, more or less," Ludwig said.
Williams is currently the vice president for development at Ripon College, Wis. He graduated in 1970 with a bachelor's in German from Beloit College, Wis., before going on to complete his master's in the same field in 1973 from the University of Wisconsin, Madison.
Rudnitski is currently the director of corporate and foundation relations at the University of Minnesota. She obtained her double degree and master's from SCSU.
Eric O'Link can be reached at: [email protected]
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