Avery

And the search goes on. Presidential Search Committee (PSC) members have now broken into groups of three and are interviewing sources and potential prospects in the quest for Cornell University's next president.

One of the search committee's members is Rosemary Avery, professor and chair in the Department of Policy Analysis and Management. Avery, the recipient of several distinguished teaching awards at Cornell and a Weiss Presidential Fellow, also is a member of the University Faculty Senate and the University Faculty Committee. She was one of two faculty members added to the search committee last month following forums with the faculty.

Having faculty as well as student representation on the committee, she said, informs the search process in significant ways.

"I anticipate that the campus-based perspectives provided by faculty and student representatives will be invaluable during the interview process," Avery said."[especially] as we communicate to prospective candidates the richness of Cornell University as a premier research and teaching institution founded on the principles of inclusiveness and academic breadth."

While some Cornell faculty and students are "still somewhat perturbed and confused by Jeff Lehman's sudden resignation" in June, she said they are nonetheless "anxious for the committee to execute its charge in searching for an individual who reflects the ideals of this outstanding institution and is able to further the goals of faculty and students in terms of continuing our tradition of being a premier research environment and top-quality institution of higher learning."

Avery joined the Cornell faculty in 1988. Her professional career has focused on public policy as it relates to family formation via adoption of children with special needs. She also has studied the impact of media images on consumer choice. She has been the recipient of several federal grants to support her research and is an active contributor to national special-needs adoption initiatives.

Her work in family policy focuses on the New York state child welfare system, particularly the foster care experiences of children put up for adoption, state adoption recruitment efforts and permanency for adolescents leaving foster care. She is currently working on a collaborative project that focuses on providing permanency for older teens as they leave the foster-care system. Her work in consumer policy focuses on messages and persuasive content of print advertising and television, the impact of pharmaceutical advertising on consumer demand and the regulation of prescription drug advertising.

She said that she is honored to serve on the committee, "which comprises individuals with a deep commitment to Cornell University and what it stands for."

Committee members, she said, "bring a broad range of expertise and experience to the search process. The energy level and enthusiasm among the committee members is extremely high. Being on the search committee requires a significant commitment of time. I have been particularly impressed by the willingness of individuals to clear their already overloaded schedules to make room for the extremely demanding travel schedule the search process requires."

Speaking of which, in addition to her work on campus, Avery serves as the external evaluator on several federally funded Adoption Opportunities Grants, New York City's Hundred Longest Waiting Children's Project and the Teen Homelessness Prevention Project.

For a complete list of all PSC members as well as background and updates on the search, visit the Presidential Search Web site at http://www.cornell.edu/presidentsearch/.