Though Dr. Sullivan Welborne may no longer be the Vice Chancellor, there has been a lot of interest in his position, and the search committee has narrowed the candidate pool down to five.

The requirements for the position were listed as “master’s degree required, Ph.D preferred.”

Junior Class President Wayne Kimball Jr. is one of the few students on the search committee.

“We started out with 40 applicants and we did a prescreening of the 40 applicants based on the qualifications that were listed. After the screening we cut it down to around 10, then we broke it down to the top five,” Kimball said. “The names were forwarded to the Chancellor, he approved them, and then we moved into the interview process.”

Each of the candidates either have already been or will be on campus to interview with a variety of people, students included. Every candidate is scheduled to meet with the search committee, chancellor’s cabinet, representatives from student affairs, the deans, the student body, the University community, and the chancellor.

“We had a very large and impressive application pool, and we definitely saw a lot of potential for A&T. The ones we saw that were the best were the ones we selected,” Kimball said. “One of the major goals was to bridge the gap between Aggie Pride and Academic Excellence in Student Affairs.”

Vice President of Internal Affairs Valerie Dudley is also on the committee.

“It is an honor being able to represent the student voice as far as vice chancellor is concerned,” Dudley said. “With the help and input of the Senate, I will merge what traits and qualities will be bes in a personable, proacative vice chancellor for student affairs.”

Three of the five candidates are currently employed in high-ranking positions at institutions in the triad area. Dr. Carol S. Disque is the current vice chancellor of student affairs at the University of North Carolina at Greensboro, and has been in this position since 1996.

Dr. Melody C. Pierce is the current vice chancellor of student affairs at Winston-Salem State University, and served under Dr. Harold L. Martin, Sr. when he was chancellor of WSSU. Martin, a North Carolina A&T alum, is now the current chancellor of A&T.

Mrs. Linda Wilson is currently the executive director of the Sebastian Health Center here on campus. Wilson has served in this role for over 20 years, and has been pivotal in changes in the health services on campus. She is the only candidate that has progressed to the top five without a Ph.D.

The other two candidates are from out of state.

Dr. Leroy Durant is currently the Vice Chancellor of Student Affairs at Claflin University in Orangeburg, S.C. Durant currently serves as the vice president for student development and services.

The final candidate is Dr. Juliana Mosley from Philander Smith College in Little Rock, AR. Dr. Mosley is also the current vice president for student affairs.

• Dexter R. Mullins