ATHENS, Ohio -- Ohio University officials said they are extending their search for a dean of the Russ College of Engineering and Technology.

The search committee will actively consider other candidates in the current pool of applicants for the position and Interim Provost Gary Schumacher and President Robert Glidden have invited nominations of both internal and external candidates. If the extension of the search does not prove successful, then university officials will consult with the college's faculty and staff to appoint an internal candidate for a fixed three-year term.

"We need a decisive person who can obtain internal and external resources and build good relationships with internal administration, federal and state governments, and alumni and friends of the college. We also need someone with a strong commitment to undergraduate education," said Dennis Irwin, chair of the dean search committee for the Russ College of Engineering and Technology. "I believe that we as a college, in order to get the very finest pool of candidates, need to be more aggressive and even more proactive in our search."

Jerrel Mitchell has served as interim dean for the college since July 31, 2000. His appointment came after former dean Kent Wray accepted the position of provost and senior vice president for academic and student affairs at Michigan Technological University in Houghton, Mich.