After conducting a second search, Western president Bruce Shepard announced the hiring of Catherine Riordan as Western’s provost and vice president for Academic Affairs Tuesday following nearly two weeks of deliberation.

“Catherine was my first choice,” Shepard said.  “Early on, I indicated to her that she was the person I wanted for the job.”

After four months of narrowing down the pool of 170 applicants, conducting neutral-site interviews in Seattle and considering campus-community comments, Western’s Provost and Vice President for Academic Affairs Search Committee presented Shepard with three final candidates: Michael Zimmerman, Catherine Riordan and Gerard Voland.

Shepard began calling the finalists references and talking with colleagues around campus on April 9.

“I was delighted when I heard the news,” Riordan said.  “I could tell this would be a very positive step for me, and I am looking forward to moving to Bellingham.”

During her last seven years as vice provost at Central Michigan University, Riordan said she has gained experience with university-wide strategic and academic planning.  She also held the position of assistant vice president for curriculum and assessment.  

Her husband, Philip Thompson, is currently an associate professor of economics at Central Michigan and may seek a faculty position in Western’s economics department in the fall, committee chair Craig Dunn said.

After failing to impress the search committee at her first interview during the first search in November, Riordan was given a second chance to answer the question “what are you passionate about?”  Riordan demonstrated she was just as strong in person as she was on paper and convinced the committee of her qualifications in that second interview, Dunn said.  

Shepard said the committee’s ability to make a sound judgment of any candidate after an hour-long interview is often overestimated.  He said a candidate with strong qualifications can not always be judged accurately after one interview.

“In general, a lot of bozos have been hired based on a gut feeling made after a short interview,” Shepard said.

Riordan has served as vice provost at Central Michigan University since 2001.  When the committee began calling Riordan’s references, committee members found she had stepped in and served as provost in various capacities while other provosts had been coming and going, Dunn said.

“We learned that she had played that role,” Dunn said.  “She had experience in a campus wide position, which the other candidates didn’t.”

Upon Shepard’s request, Riordan and her husband visited Western last week to meet more members of the campus community and fill out paperwork, Shepard said.  After discussing and signing the position’s contract, Shepard called Zimmerman and Voland to thank them for applying and to let them know he had made his decision, he said.

“For me, Catherine had emerged as the person who really got it,” Shepard said.  “She believed in the kind of education we do here at Western.  She had done her research and came across very genuine.”

Riordan and her husband are expected to arrive in mid-July, and Riordan will assume her duties as provost  on August 1.

As a welcoming gesture, Dunn said he plans to host an informal reception for Riordan at his house in August.  While this reception will be a private matter, Shepard said he plans to hold a public reception in Riordan’s honor on Western’s campus sometime in late July.

“Once you figure out which person you want for a position, it is important for them to want you as well,” Shepard said.

Riordan said she was initially attracted to Western’s national reputation and its focus on public undergraduate education.  After visiting the campus during winter quarter, she said she was impressed with Western’s high degree of open and accessible information as well as Western’s efforts in encouraging critical student input.

Be first to comment on this article

Only registered users can post comments.
Please login or register.