ALAMOSA — At a listening session held on the Adams State University (ASU) campus on Tuesday, Jan 24, Amy Crutchfield, a partner with the executive search firm WittKieffer said 22 applications had been received by those interested in becoming the next president of the university.

An additional 21 people were nominated to the search firm as potential applicants. All applications and nominations received by WittKieffer will be forwarded to the presidential search committee. The session was attended by about 20 faculty, staff, and alumni in McDaniel Hall at Adams State.

Crutchfield said she has worked on hundreds of academic search assignments for presidents, provosts, and deans.

The session was attended by about 20 faculty, staff, and alumni in McDaniel Hall at Adams State.

Class of 1987 and 1994 graduate Ken Marquez, who has worked for the university for decades, offered he would like to see a new president who is "a person who can demonstrate a record or evidence that they can increase enrollment in a small rural community on a small campus. We had declining enrollment for the last ten years, and I think we are at the lowest enrollment we have ever been."

Declining enrollment is not unique to ASU, as colleges and universities across the nation have experienced enrollment declines in recent years.

At a listening session last week, David Tandberg, who is serving as interim ASU president said the university would see a decline in enrollment of about 6 percent this academic year.

Mark Pittman, interim director of housing and resident life, commented on the impact that online students have versus on-campus students.

"Current enrollment is wonderful, graduate enrollment is wonderful, but they don't have the same impact that live-in person students have," Pittman said. “Something that Adams State does really, really, well is people. I think we have some of the most talented and passionate faculty and staff that I have ever encountered, there's just not enough of us. Faculty and staff recruitment and retention should be done in the same breath as student recruitment and retention."

Last summer, this reporter attended the graduate student commencement, and for many of those receiving their diplomas, it was their first time on the ASU campus.

Duane Bussey, an ASU graduate and Board of Trustees member, commented, "We are intimately close to some of Colorado's most beautiful natural resources, incredible natural resources, incredible agricultural areas. We have an awful lot to offer folks from metropolitan areas who want to get out and connect with beautiful parts of Colorado.”

Bussey was appointed as a trustee by Gov. Polis last December. Bussey is also a member of the Presidential Search Committee.

Leveraging its geographical proximity to natural resources, Adams State partners with numerous natural resource agencies offering students internships with Colorado Parks and Wildlife, Monte Vista Fish Hatchery, Bird Conservancy of the Rockies, and Land Life Company.

Bussey reflected on his time as an ASU student adding, "I had the privilege of being a student-athlete; it was a great experience. Besides being able to connect with other people and a great coaching staff, I had the opportunity of small class sizes; I had relationships with professors that was kind of like high school. That was awesome; they were talented people who were always available. It feels like it is the same way now."

Melissa Romero, who works for the university in academic advising, said, "The level of personal support and help we can provide to students, especially those who might find college intimidating, scary or sticker shock. We're able to build intimate relationships with students. We have one-on-one relationships and conversations that you can't get anywhere else.

“One of the qualities in our next president is someone who is willing to go beyond and put in that personal level of trust and commitment and have the genuine care is someone we're looking for," she added.

Theater Professor Jenna Neilsen said, "We are a small and mighty force that can guide our students to first believe in themselves so they can find their own story and go out and make a positive impact on the world."

Neilsen, who is on the Presidential Search Committee, added, "I would not like to see the idea of a liberal arts education being challenged. It is crucial that we retain our roots in a liberal arts context."

In addition to the 22 applications for the permanent position as president, last week the ASU Board of Trustees approved an option to allow Tandberg to apply for the job, if he decides to do so. Initially, Tandberg was precluded from applying.

In a statement issued on Monday, Jan. 23, the Board of Trustees wrote, "We truly wanted the search to be free of distractions for the interim president, essentially allowing Dr. Tandberg to focus on moving the university forward in the areas of admissions, campus morale, and financial prudence, especially," noted Marquez. "However, the input from the campus and community to allow Dr. Tandberg to apply was significant, thus the shift in that application stipulation."

The deadline for applicants is March 1.

The Valley Courier has contacted Tandberg seeking comment regarding his interest in applying and has not received a reply.