tl20010129-002 "Presidential candidates submitted Three of four finalists are sitting presidents at other schools Adam S. Reisinger The Towerlight Towson moved into the final stage of its presidential search, with the search committee sub-mitting a list of four finalists to the University System of Maryland Board of Regents Jan. 15. The committee chose the four finalists from a group of more than 100 applicants, moving one step closer to completing a process which started with Hoke L. Smith's retirement an nouncement in October of 1999. ""We were thrilled with the response to the search,"" said Gerard Gaeng, the search com-mittee chairman. ""The truth is, Towson a has terrific story to tell and the committee did a good job of telling it."" Though 6 the committee could not make the identities of the four finalists known, it was revealed that three of the four are sitting presidents at other Universities, which Gaeng said Spoke well of the opening at Towson. ""The attractiveness of the Towson presidency with the solid foundation that's been built here is incredible,"" he said. to USM Projects continue across campus Andes Sherman/The Towerlight Search committee chairman Gerard Gaeng said though he hoped to bring the finalists to campus in an open environment, choosing the best people for the job was the most important thing to do for the University. ""People want to be identified with a quality institution that's on the move and has an even brighter future."" University Senate chairman and search committee member Jack Fruchtm.an said he was pleased with the results of the search, and felt that it was in Towson's best interest to consid-er bringing on a person with presidential experience. ""It's an advantage for us,"" he said. ""It's really to Towson's advantage to have someone who's not just served at the vice presidential level, such as a provost or dean, but to have someone who's actually led a university."" And while he,edmitted it was a difficult process to bring the list of applicants down to 10 See SEARCH, page 5 New police chief aims to improve campus life Chris Henry/771e Tewarlight Colonel Bernard Gerst, a former Baltimore County police officer and """"11 Ithinirves- named RN wnnn 41irtheter 401,030.1 Timothy Dunn The Towerlight Colonel Bernard Gerst didn't stay retired for long. The former Baltimore County police officer was named as Towson's director of public safety Jan. 3, taking the position which had been temporarily held by Capt. Joe Herbert. Gerst, who holds a bachelor's degree in business administra-tion from Towson, said he didn't even know of the opening at his alma mater until told by a fellow Baltimore County officer. ""I learned of the opportunity from a coworker and I submit-ted a resume as required,"" Gerst said. ""The selection gave me an interview by phone and I was then asked to take an in-person interview with the selection committee."" After meetings with University President Hoke L. Smith, Executive Vice President Joanne Glasser, student repre-sentatives, and members Of the hired. Herbert, who took over as act-ing chief of police when Steven Murphy retired in November, 1999, said Towson made a good choice in hiring Gerst, who brings almost 23 years of experi-ence to the University. ""Chief Gerst brings with him a wide spectrum of experience in law enforcement,"" Herbert said. ""Towson University is for-tunate to have a person with his background leading the police department."" Gerst said while many ele-ments lead to his being hired, including his extensive experi-ence and the diversity of that experience, one of the biggest factors were the connections made during his time with the Baltimore County police. ""I continue to have a great working relationship with members of the Baltimore County Police Department and I also have a network of peers at other colleges and universities that I can bounce ideas off of 7800 York Rd. and Center for the Arts to receive upgrades this semester Sean McCollum The Towerlight This semester, students will again be dodging construction crews while traveling ori-cam-pus as the University prepares for more construction upgrades. Some of these projects will go on long after this year's fresh-men have graduated, while the more urgent ones will be com-pleted in less than a year. One of the biggest construc-tion projects will be the addition of 120,000 square feet to the Center of the Arts, almost dou-bling the size of the building by 2003. The University will also reno-vate the theater and concert hall for better acoustics by 2004. David Mayhew, director of engineering and construction, said the main objective is to give the building a new front that will face campus. The project will also consoli-date all of the fine and perform-ing arts into one facility, along with creating a physical link between the building and the University Union parking garage. This will provide a safe cross-ing over Cross Campus Drive and convenient parking for stu-dents, staff and faculty. Ralph Blasting, chairman of the theatre arts department, said that the addition is long overdue, and will really give students the room that they need to work and rehearse. ""This will allow us to put all production activities into appropriate places: the acting in the acting rooms, and lectures in the lecture rooms,"" Blasting said. ""Right now all our spaces are serving double or triple duty."" One of the more urgent proj-ects involves alleviating the cur-rent parking problems. To han-dle that, the University is build-ing a, 1,300-space 'parking garage next to..7..�a6rk Road. The construction of the park ing garage coincides with tlic complete overhauling of the 7800 building, which includes .......x.potiswediepastittenbi-arblenimmuudsobt.s........6.0...e..4..s.e.44.41016143EfilerrafreabawbyfeesseleNSTRUCTIONopsp6-4,3 � "
