 "Photo: Provided Photo")
No one has applied to take over as the next director of the Paul Simon Public Policy Institute, but the chairman of the search committee said the candidates have big shoes to fill.
John Jackson, the committee chairman, said he has no one in mind to replace Director Mike Lawrence, who is set to retire Nov. 1. Lawrence became director of the institute, which aims to help examine and educate about politics, after founder Paul Simon died in 2003.
"We hope to get someone with the sterling qualities of public service and commitment to public policy that is reflected in the lives and careers of both of those gentlemen," Jackson said. "They are our models as we start out in this search."
Simon spent two terms in the U.S. Senate and was a candidate for the Democratic Party nomination for president in 1988. He founded the Paul Simon Public Policy Institute in 1997.
"Paul was a multi-dimensioned public servant," Jackson said. "He had an interest in local, Carbondale and Jackson County government and politics, and he had an interest in international affairs. He certainly had an interest in national politics as well."
Lawrence's interests are more focused on Illinois because he brought 10 years of experience in former Gov. Jim Edgar's administration to the institute, said Matt Baughman, assistant director of the institute. A former journalist, Lawrence was Edgar's press secretary.
Jackson said he has received no applications, but the application deadline is Sept. 22.
Bill Freivogel, director of the School of Journalism, said he is interested in the position and spoke with Mike Lawrence about the possibility of applying.
"I'm considering it, but I haven't applied yet," Freivogel said.
Before coming to SIUC, Freivogel was the assistant bureau chief for the Washington bureau of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch and a finalist for the Pulitzer Prize in 2002.
Simon's daughter Sheila, associate law professor at the SIU School of Law and a board member at the institute, said she does not plan to apply for the position because she does not feel she is qualified. She said she plans to play an active role in the search, but she is not on the search committee.
She said Lawrence was a great resource for the institution after her father died.
"Dad and Mike defined the institute," she said.
Jackson said the committee is casting a wide net in the national search with hopes for a diverse applicant pool.
Jackson said he plans to have three or four finalists chosen by Oct. 15, when he will release the candidates' names. He said he would like to have the director chosen by Nov. 1.
The 11-person director search committee will determine the finalists and make a recommendation for the new director, but the final decision will be subject to the approval of the chancellor, provost, president and Board of Trustees, Jackson said.
Baughman said he would like to see someone in the position who knew Simon personally and has a deep understanding of Simon's mission and motivation.
The institute addresses issues such as rural health care and transportation, water resources and study abroad programs, Jackson said. Its focus also includes encouraging young African-Americans to aspire to leadership positions and involving young people in politics.
The new director will be responsible for developing an agenda for the institute during the next five to 10 years, Jackson said.
"They need to have had a distinguished career in public service, public or political life," Jackson said. "Not just everybody can live up to that expectation."
Brandy Oxford can be reached at 536-3311 ext. 255 or boxford@siude.com.
