With changes underway across the university, Loyola has begun a nationwide search for a new University Honors Program director.

The need for a new director came after former co-directors Constance Mui, philosophy professor, and John Sebastian, English professor, stepped down last May after serving for three years.

A committee was then formed to handle the search. It spent last semester deciding what to advertise for the position with the University Honors Advisory Board before the university officially began asking for applications last December.

The committee plans to start reviewing applications in February, said Eileen Doll, Spanish professor, Honors program fellowships coordinator and head of the committee. So far, she said she has received around eight applications but expects to receive more before the February deadline.

While all of the applicants have been from other universities, Doll said she hopes to have some on-campus faculty and administrators apply for the position as well.

“If the students would like to talk to their professors or any of the administrators who they think would be good for the job, please encourage them to apply,” she said.

Once the committee narrows down the applicant pool, it will conduct telephone interviews and select up to five candidates from other universities to invite to campus, in addition to meeting with any on-campus candidates.

Until a full-time director is hired, psychology professor Lawrence Lewis and Chris Wiseman, associate vice president for development, have been working as interim co-directors of the program.

Although the program has had co-directors for several years, Doll said the university will only hire one director to replace Lewis and Wiseman.

“They’re interim. They have other duties,” Doll said. This makes it difficult to have only one director for the time being, Doll added.

The new director will focus entirely on the program, although they will also be encouraged to teach for it.

“There is a lot involved in being the director of the Honors program and we want the Honors program to become more prominent, so we want someone who can dedicate their time to that,” she said.

The new director will also have to adjust the Honors curriculum—which currently replaces some common curriculum courses—with the new common curriculum that is expected to be implemented soon.

Physics senior and honors student Holly Gardner, who serves on the student-run University Honors Association, said she hopes the director will be familiar with the program and will be able to devote their time to it.

“I don’t want an administrator sitting high above,” Gardner said.

Doll said she also wants someone with whom the administration, faculty and students will feel comfortable working.

“We’re hopeful, based on what we’ve already received, that we’ll find someone who is a good fit for Loyola,” Gardner said.

Masako Hirsch can be reached at [email protected]