Storbeck/Pimentel Places President at University of Southern Indiana
April 23, 2018 – The University of Southern Indiana (USI) board of trustees, with the guidance of Storbeck/Pimentel & Associates, named its current provost, Ronald S. Rochon, as the school’s fourth president. Founding principal Stephen Leo, managing associate Matthew Bunting, and associate Brian Bustin led the assignment. Dr. Rochon assumes his new role on July 1, succeeding Linda L. M. Bennett who is retiring after nine years.
The national search drew more than 90 qualified candidates for review. The candidate pool ranged from sitting university presidents to executives outside the higher education landscape. The committee narrowed the pool to four finalists, which were presented to the board for the final decision.
“Dr. Rochon has proven to be a strong leader and true person of character, and we look forward to seeing him continue to sustainably grow USI in size, stability and in reputation,” said Harold Calloway, chair of the USI board of trustees and chair of the presidential search committee.
“I want to express my thanks to the search committee members who put in hours of work reviewing and interviewing candidates, and who sacrificed time and energy to ensure USI had the best person for the job,” he said. “This was by no means an easy decision. All of the finalists were well qualified. I also want to thank Storbeck/Pimentel & Associates, the search firm that assisted us throughout this process.”
Committed Leader
Dr. Rochon joined USI as provost in 2010. Since then he has directly supervised the deans of USI’s four academic colleges, graduate studies, outreach & engagement, international programs, Rice Library, student affairs and all other academic departments. During his tenure, Dr. Rochon oversaw the revamping of the university’s core curriculum and UNIV 101 seminar course, led the creation and approval of USI’s second doctoral program in educational leadership, developed new opportunities and programs for undergraduate, graduate and online learning students, and fostered new approaches to recruit students to campus and developed programs to help them excel.
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Previously, Dr. Rochon served as the inaugural dean of the school of education and associate vice president for teacher education and professor at Buffalo State. He was also director and co-founder of the Research Center for Cultural Diversity and Community Renewal at the University of Wisconsin-La Crosse, as well as interim associate dean and director of the school of education. In 2010, Dr. Rochon served as chair of the board of the American Association of Colleges of Teacher Education. His professional teaching career has included work at Texas A & M University, Washington State University and University of Wisconsin-LaCrosse.
“I am honored and humbled by the opportunity to serve as the next USI president,” said Dr. Rochon. “The responsibility to shepherd and continue the growth of this amazing institution is something that I am grateful for and take very seriously.”
Hunt Scanlon Top 50 Non-Profit & Higher Education Search Firms
Hunt Scanlon presents its first ever roundup of leading recruiters in the non-profit / higher education sectors. Check out these top 50 trailblazers – ranging from the largest recruiting and talent leadership solutions firms to the leading boutique specialists.
| Top 50 |
Education Search Leaders
Storbeck/Pimentel has a strong history of recruiting top leadership in higher education. The firm has placed presidents at the University of Arizona, Swarthmore College, Pomona College, Carnegie Mellon University, University of Wyoming and the University of Wisconsin-Madison, among many others. Minority and female owned, the firm has more than 25 consultants and support staff in two main offices in Los Angeles and Philadelphia, with affiliated offices in Vermont, Virginia and Florida.
Mr. Leo is a seasoned recruitment professional and has conducted numerous searches in higher education and in the non-profit sector for presidents, vice presidents, senior development officers, deans and other executives. Prior to joining the firm in 2007, he served as a consultant in the education practice at A.T. Kearney for six years.
Related: Michigan State University Close to Picking Search Firm for Top Role
Since 2011, Mr. Bunting has managed numerous searches in a variety of sectors in higher education for multiple positions, including presidents, chancellors, vice presidents and deans, among others. Before joining Storbeck/Pimentel, Mr. Bunting was the publisher and director of business development for Triad Design Services, Inc.
Mr. Bustin’s career has focused on serving and furthering education both in and out of the classroom. Previously, he taught at the secondary and post-secondary levels before moving into higher education executive search where he has facilitated searches for presidents, provosts, vice presidents, and deans.
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Contributed by Scott A. Scanlon, Editor-in-Chief; Dale M. Zupsansky, Managing Editor; Stephen Sawicki, Managing Editor; and Andrew W. Mitchell, Managing Editor – Hunt Scanlon Media
