For Release
April 15, 2005

Presidential Search Committee begins candidate screening 

           The Citadel's Presidential Search Committee has entered the third phase of its work - screening candidates for the next president of The Military College of South Carolina.

           "We're very excited about the nominations and applications we have received and we are looking forward to move ahead in this process," said William B. Sansom, Class of 1964, chairman of the search committee.

           The Presidential Search Committee was appointed to find a replacement for Maj. Gen. John S. Grinalds. The 18th president of The Citadel, Grinalds announced in January that he will step down Aug. 1, concluding an eight-year tenure that started during the college's tumultuous beginnings with coeducation.

           Recruiting for a president got under way in March. The search committee will screen all the applications and select semi-finalists for interviews and three to five finalists for Board of Visitors consideration. To date approximately 40 applications and recommendations have been received.

           During the screening phase, the search committee will:

• Have assistance from Academic Search Consultation Service, a Washington, D.C.-based firm that specializes in chief executive officer and chief academic officer searches in higher education.
• Ask Samuel B. Witt III, president of the Virginia Military Institute Board of Visitors, to share his experiences hiring a new superintendent in 2003. Witt was chairman of the VMI superintendent search committee.
• Seek input from Citadel alumni.
• Ask personnel experts from each branch of the military service to evaluate the qualifications of candidates for the job.

           The Citadel Presidential Search Committee hopes to hire a president this summer.

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