Search for new director of student programs slated to begin anew

Speaking on condition of anonymity, the source said the three finalists, all University of Arizona employees, were "flushed" and the nationwide search will begin anew to find a replacement for Dan Maxwell, former head of the Department of Student Programs.

Student Union Director Dan Adams would not confirm the dropping of the three applicants and said the search process will continue unabated.

"We've decided to extend the search," Adams said last night, speaking via telephone from a conference in Colorado.

"It (the applicant pool) needed to have a good representation of both males and females. We wanted to pull in people of color," he added.

Adams said some of the applicants quit the race before a decision was made.

"The committee did a great job, but what ended up happening was some people dropped out at the last minute," Adams said.

He would not elaborate.

University of Arizona Dean of Students Melissa Vito said Maxwell, the previous director, quit during July to pursue a job on the east coast. She said the vacant position pays somewhere in the $40,000 range.

Vito also said the candidate pool was smaller than the search committee had hoped.

"We want to make sure we're honoring our commitment to getting a diverse pool," Vito said. "Although it was a good size, it was smaller than what we would have liked."

Several members of the search team were in Colorado for the same conference as Adams and could not be reached for comment.

David J. Cieslak can be reached via e-mail at David.J.Cieslak@wildcat.arizona.edu.