Three finalists for the dean’s position in Western Carolina University’s College of Business are scheduled to visit campus to participate in interviews and public presentations.
WCU is conducting a national search to fill a vacancy created by the departure of Darrell Parker, who was business dean at the university from July 2012 until the end of 2017. Parker has been serving as president of Limestone College in South Carolina since January.
The first candidate to visit will be H. Shelton Weeks, Lucas Professor of Real Estate and chair of the Department of Economics and Finance at Florida Gulf Coast University. Weeks will deliver a presentation on “The Future of Business Education at WCU” that is open to the entire campus community at 9:30 a.m. Wednesday, Oct. 31, in the Sunset Room of Brown Hall. A reception for College of Business students, faculty and staff will be held immediately after the presentation.
The remaining two candidate visits will take place Tuesday, Nov. 6, and Thursday, Nov. 15. More details will be announced when schedules are finalized, said Jeff Ray, dean of WCU’s College of Engineering and Technology, who is serving as chair of the campus search committee looking for the next leader for the College of Business.
The search is being conducted through the Buffkin-Baker executive search firm, with Martin Baker and Chelsie Whitelock serving as leads for the WCU post.