THOUSAND OAKS : Consultant Hired in Cal Lutheran Search

Cal Lutheran University has formed a committee of academic leaders to find a replacement for President Jerry H. Miller.

Miller announced his resignation Sept. 24 to become chancellor in charge ofdevelopment and fund-raising for the 2,936-student campus in Thousand Oaks.

A 13-member search committee, led by the Rev. James L. Bessey, has hired a consultant to help in the search for candidates, campus spokeswoman Jean Sandlin said.

According to the timetable set by Bessey, the consultant is expected to continue recruiting potential candidates through February and will begin screening them in March.

Committee members are expected to interview a narrower field of applicants as early as April. A new president could be named as early as May or June, Sandlin said.

Miller is scheduled to leave his post by July 1. But if a successor is not named by then, he is expected to stay in his job until one is named.

Miller is the university’s fourth president since it was founded in 1959. He has served in that post since 1981.