A cross-section search committee will hold an open forum featuring candidates for the vice president of business and finance position.

The open forum will be from 2 p.m. to 3 p.m. both today and tomorrow in the Williams Center.

The student body is encouraged to come out to the different information sessions because student opinion is valued, Garrett Green, search committee member and vice president of auxiliary affairs for the Student Government Association, said.

“It’s really important that we choose a good candidate, as a student, because that person has a lot to do with a lot of student-affairs-type departments,” Green said.

“The vice president of business and finance handles all of the ?nancial part of the institution, that could be up to 25, 30, 40 budgets,” Dr. Teresa Thompson, vice president of student affairs and enrollment management, said.

The new vice president will replace Dr. Ron Core, current vice president of business and finance, who will be retiring April 30.

The search committee has narrowed the candidate pool to three potential individuals: Kim Thompson, associate vice president of business and ?nance at GSU; Robert Whitaker, vice president of finance and administration at Georgia Highlands College; and David Carson, vice president of business and finance at Armstrong Atlantic State University.

The minimum quali?cations needed for the position include a bachelor’s degree and 10 or more years of experience, ?ve of which need to have been served on an executive level.

The qualifications for the position are general to ensure no potential candidates are excluded, Paul Michaud, associate vice president for the of?ce of human resources, said.

A detailed resume with a letter of introduction was required for the application, Teresa Thompson said.

The search committee made a list of its top ten candidates and then voted on whom to interview over the phone, Michaud said.

Out of those interviewed, three were invited to campus for a full day of interviewing, Teresa Thompson said.

The candidates go to the Williams Center for an open forum, where they present a presentation and then answer questions from the public, including students, faculty and staff, Green said.

Kim Thompson came last Friday for the full interview day, Carson will be on campus for interviewing today and Whitaker will be interviewed tomorrow.

The search committee will then provide President Brooks Keel with its input on the three candidates.

Keel will then select a finalist and hold a more in-depth interview.

The search committee consists of about 12 people from different areas and levels from within the university, including students, professors and administration.

Teresa Thompson said, “It’s a very complicated and detailed position and one where we need someone with very good experience.”