A search committee consisting of faculty, staff and students has assembled to find a new vice chancellor for student affairs. Provost Nowell Donovan is the chairman of the search committee, which is also working with an executive search company.

The job description was posted online and was narrowed down by William Spelman, the search company, to 111 qualified candidates. Donovan said the list of candidates was given to the search committee, which decided on the final five possible candidates.

“I think we have some conscientious students in there, which is good because obviously this position is important to students,” Donovan said. “This person is going to basically be in charge of the non-curricular part of their lives.”

Jackie Wheeler, SGA president and search committee representative, said she is looking for someone who will be involved with the students like current Vice Chancellor for Student Affairs Don Mills.

“I want him to get to know all the leaders because I believe that is what this position entails,” Wheeler said. “It is getting to know the community and helping students get the best experience at TCU.”

Mills is stepping down after serving in the position for 17 years. According to the university’s website, he will continue to work at TCU as Distinguished Professor of Educational Leadership in the College of Education. Mills said it is important for students to be involved in the search process, and serving on the committee is one way students are being represented.

“The most important thing they can do is tell the candidates what TCU is really like,” Mills said. “What the students are like, what the students expect, and how the vice chancellor can positively affect their life.”

Donovan said TCU was built on personal relationships, and a potential candidate must value a personalized education experience. He said the search committee is not looking for someone to change the campus culture, but someone who will continually take student affairs and the university to the next level.