When former Assistant Vice Chancellor for Student Affairs and Director of the Office of Undergraduate Admissions Walter Robinson left UC Berkeley in September 2011, Vice Chancellor for Student Affairs Harry Le Grande called his departure “a tremendous loss for Cal,” and the search for a permanent replacement immediately ensued.

However, the spot still remains temporarily filled by Associate Vice Chancellor for Admissions and Enrollment Anne De Luca, nearly nine months after Robinson left.

The search process originally began in fall 2011 and though the search committee expected to fill the position by the end of the semester, according to former CalSERVE Senator Stefan Montouth, a student member of the committee, the candidates at the time were not strong enough.

“We had two finalists who came out to interview and meet with students and faculty and different constituency groups, but the committee didn’t feel either candidate was strong enough,” Montouth said. “So we had to start the process over.”

In an open letter published on incoming ASUC Executive Vice President Justin Sayarath’s website, Montouth and fellow student member of the search committee David Melena announced the campus will host three open forums on campus at which students will be able to meet and interact with the three new finalists for the position.

The forums will take place on Thursday at 4 p.m. in the Madrone Room in the Martin Luther King Jr. Student Union, June 13 at 4 p.m. in the Madrone Room and June 15 at 9:45 a.m. in 140 Barrows.

According to Montouth, the candidates will also participate in open forums with faculty, and the exposure to different aspects of campus will help make the selection process “more inclusive.”

De Luca said she is hoping that after all the forums and meetings the candidates will go through this month, she and LeGrande will make a final offer by the end of June.

“Much like when we review applications for undergraduate admissions, we are selective,” De Luca said. “We want to be sure the person we make an offer to is the right match.”

According to De Luca, the position involves outreach with prospective students, review of all applications, selection of students and encouraging admitted students to enroll, among other duties.

“If you look at it from a PR perspective, outside of the Chancellor, the admissions director is the most visible representative of the university,” Montouth said. “So it is important that we find someone who represents UC Berkeley in every aspect.”

In embarking on the new search, the committee made a few adjustments, which included using a new search firm for prospective candidates and conducting Skype interviews of potential candidates.

According to Montouth, the Skype interviews allowed the committee to get to know the six candidates better before inviting three finalists to the campus.

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