Dennis Depew knows how energetic Wichita State President John Bardo is. He only hopes he can keep up should he be named the vice president for academic affairs. 

“I know a little something about his energy, his passion and his ability, and the opportunity to work with him again would be a great deal of fun,” Depew said. “I knew firsthand how he can lead a university from good to great.”

Depew worked with Bardo from 1999-2002 at Western Carolina University. Depew was the dean of the College of Applied Sciences at the time, while Bardo was chancellor. 

On Tuesday, Depew became the first of an eventual three finalists to speak at an open forum on the Wichita State campus for the position of vice president for academic affairs. 

The position has been held by interim Provost Keith Pickus since mid-2011. 

“There is a lot of talent here,” Depew said. “A lot of upside, a lot of potential. And it’s sitting here waiting to move forward. I would welcome the opportunity to be a part of the team and help unleash that power.”

Depew is currently the dean emeritus at the College of Technology at Purdue University, a title he has held since 2011, and is also the interim director of the Global Policy Research Institute. 

From 2002-2011 he served as dean and professor of technology at Purdue. 

An anonymous person nominated Depew for the position at WSU. After looking into it, Depew became excited about the potential despite his commitment to his own university.

“I hadn’t thought about leaving Purdue. Wasn’t on my radar screen,” he said. “The more I peal things back and the more I look at what you are doing, and the more I think about the possibilities, it gets the juices flowing.”

During his open forum session, Depew talked about his academic journey, his views on early tenure, social media, and retention, among other topics. 

Retention was an especially important topic, as it will be important if the university sticks to its goal of expanding enrollment to more than 20,000 students. 

“Having programs in place, and not just academic programs… but support programs in place that makes the student experience really meaningful, because retention becomes very, very important,” Depew said. “If you are going to admit students, the end goal should be that four years later they finish a degree and walk away from Wichita State with a B.S. degree or B.A. degree in something.”

The other two finalists for the position are John Koropchak of Southern Illinois University and Anthony Vizzini of Western Michigan University. 

Koropchack will visit campus today and Vizzini will visit on Thursday. Both candidates will hold open public forums similar to Depew’s from 3:30 p.m. to 4:30 p.m. on their selected days in 209 Hubbard Hall. 

No timetable has been established for a selection to be made, but it’s expected that Bardo will make a decision sooner than later.