Four make Cal State's short list

Oakland Tribune, Apr 28, 2006 by Katy Murphy, STAFF WRITER

HAYWARD -- Next month, the California State University Board of Trustees will decide whether the next president of Cal State East Bay will be an engineering guru; a two-time alumna with a background in student affairs; a psychology professor and former provost; or a former math and computer science professor who oversees the far- flung campuses of a national vocational college.

Mohammad Qayoumi, Judy Sakaki, Lois Muir and James Kho are the finalists vying to succeed Cal State East Bay President Norma Rees. After a months-long confidential search and interview process, the CSU chancellor's office released the names and qualifications of the top four candidates Thursday.

"I do think this is an excellent pool," said Herbert Carter, a CSU trustee and chairman of the search committee.

The presidential hopefuls will pay individual visits to the Hayward campus from May 8-11. The CSU Board of Trustees will interview the candidates May 15, and the board will make a final decision later in the week.

Kamar O'Guinn, the student representative on the campus advisory committee, said Thursday that he believed all of the candidates would be a good fit for the diverse university.

"I do think each of them could bring a refreshing change," O'Guinn said.

Throughout the search process, students, staff and faculty have emphasized the need for a visible leader who can draw more students to the university, which has experienced declining enrollment, and make the campus a more vibrant place. Some have expressed hope for a president who will tackle tough issues of race and ethnicity on the campus. Others say business savvy -- or a strong academic history -- is a must.

An open forum for each of the candidates will take place between 4:15 and 5:15 p.m. May 8-11 in the University Theatre. As Kho, Muir, Sakaki and Qayoumi interact with the campus community, members of the searchcommittee will be watching how they are received.

"Obviously, we care a lot in this process about a match -- the extent to which the candidates really match the campuses," Carter said.

The candidates:

-James Kho oversees nine campuses and 20 centers as the vice president of operations at DeVry University, a for-profit company that focuses on business, technology, health care technology and management. From 1973 to 2000, Kho was a computer science professor and a dean and an administrator for California State University, Sacramento. Kho visits campus May 8.

-Lois Muir is a psychology professor at the University of Montana. Until recently, she was also the university's provost -- the first woman to hold that position -- and vice president for academic affairs. Muir has held faculty and administrative positions at a number of universities around the country, including Kent State University; the University of Wisconsin, La Crosse; and the University of South Dakota. Muir visits campus May 9.

-Judy Sakaki is a first-generation college graduate who earned her bachelor's and master's degrees from what was then California State University, Hayward. She has served as vice president for student affairs at California State University, Fresno, and as vice chancellor of student affairs at the University of California, Davis. Sakaki visits the university May 10.

-Mohammad "Mo" Qayoumi is the vice president for administration and finance at California State University, Northridge, where he also is on the engineering management faculty.

A native of Kabul, Afghanistan, he earned a bachelor's degree in electrical engineering from the American University of Beirut, and three graduate degrees in nuclear, computer and electrical engineering from the University of Cincinnati, as well as an MBA. Qayoumi comes to campus May 11.

For more information about the candidates, visit executivesearch.calstate.edu.