The WSU Presidential Search Advisory Committee has narrowed their group of candidates down to eight.

“We clearly want a president with a focus on academic quality,” Michael Worthy, a member of the Board of Regents and chair of the search committee, said Thursday. He also mentioned an emphasis on leadership and communication abilities.

Worthy said the search committee has developed a baseline for experience and credentials to help narrow down the candidates and some of those credentials highlight the importance of student’s issues.

“WSU has been a leader in lobbying for minimizing tuition,” Worthy said.

He said the committee is looking for someone that understands the importance of minimizing the impact of tuition on families.

Another issue close to students Worthy brought up was the challenges facing the Greek community.

“We’ve said that we’re looking for someone who is willing to spend additional energy investing in the Greek system,” Worthy said.

Worthy also mentioned that several very qualified women are under serious consideration at this stage as well as several people of color.

The next step for the search committee is narrowing the candidates down to a group of three or four, who will be presented to the Board of Regents. The board will make the final decision this spring.

Reporting by Dana Jensen