University officials now are discussing the merits of different candidates.

“We have a pool of candidates, and we’re going through that pool,” she said. “They have to be experienced museum professionals, and they have to have leadership ability (as well as a) strong track record.”

As applications for the position are submitted, the university has contracted a national search firm — which services and consults with the university committee — to review the applicant’s qualifications and submit them to the university’s search efforts, Stanford said.

Stanford declined to comment on the name of the search firm or the number of candidates being reviewed to avoid a potential negative impact on the search.

The candidates eventually will meet with university officials — including MSU Provost Kim Wilcox — during the next two months and participate in a number of interviews before public presentations of named candidates are announced in late October or early November, Stanford said.

A strong knowledge of contemporary art, the charisma to represent the museum to the MSU community and the ability to bring exhibits to the East Lansing area are all points candidates should demonstrate, Stanford said.

“It’s a very innovative building and (candidates) need to think fresh of how to bring contemporary art to mid-Michigan,” she said. “They have to be aware that MSU’s reach into the community is actually international.”

William Anderson, former director of the Michigan Department of History, Arts and Libraries who served under former Gov. John Engler and Gov. Jennifer Granholm, was selected as a member on the search committee after working with the initial advisory board.

A number of specifications were shared between the national search firm and the search committee, Anderson said.
“The university is very, very conscientious of communicating with us on the search committee,” Anderson said.

“I’ve been getting weekly reports and updates on that status.”

Of the top-ten candidates, at least one is not originally from the U.S., Anderson said.

In addition to leadership, a person who can exhibit some sort of experience as a successful fundraiser and secure funding for the facility might place him or her over other considerations, Anderson said.

“We specifically required a certain number of years of experience that candidates needed to (be) administrators of art museums,” he said.

“This will be a museum that will be sharply focused on contemporary art.”

Once the search is complete and the project’s construction is finished toward the end of 2012, officials hope the museum will add to the university’s commitment to education and discovery.

“This exciting project will relate to interdisciplinary learning,” said Karin Wurst, dean of the MSU College of Arts and Letters, in an e-mail. “It will strengthen the arts and humanities on this campus, (and) it will create opportunities for more students from all colleges to get interested in the visual arts.”