President Eli Capilouto announced that the “preferred candidate” for the position of Vice President for Philanthropy and Alumni Engagement will be attending an open forum next week, in a campus wide email on Feb. 15.

The preferred candidate’s name will be released Sunday morning prior to their visit.

The forum will take place on Monday, Feb. 20, at 3:30 p.m. in Room 191 of the Gatton College of Business and Economics.

The candidate will discuss their philosophy and qualifications regarding the position, as well as students and staff having the opportunity to ask additional questions.

The forum will be recorded and posted along with a feedback form. The form will only be available to those with a LinkBlue ID until Wednesday, Feb. 22 at 4:30 p.m.

The search to fill this position started in fall of 2021 when Capilouto empaneled a search committee of qualified community members. It was put on hold last spring after the committee reviewed over two-dozen applications.

“Given these positions are highly relational to their respective institutions and donors, these searches must be handled with utmost confidentiality and care,” Capilouto said in the email. “As such, our search has taken more time to yield an excellent candidate to present to campus.”

Capilouto emphasized the importance of filling this position with a trusted individual.

“The fact is that philanthropy and alumni leaders are in high demand as raising private dollars and foundation support has become more and more essential to the work we do in higher 

education,” he said in the email.