Loss Of Another Top Administrator A `Huge' Blow To UW -- Executive V.P. Trask Takes Duke U. Post

It's a serious blow for the University of Washington to have the three top jobs vacant at the same time, but that hardly means the ship is sinking, say regents, administrators and faculty.

"In fact, there may be a real benefit when we choose a new president, as I'm confident we will in the next couple of months," Regent Dan Evans said. "The new president will have an opportunity to select the two top management spots and create a new team, and that is very important."

Evans' observations followed an announcement yesterday that UW administrator Tallman Trask III has been named executive vice president at Duke University in North Carolina.

The Trask departure means that the UW's highest administrative positions may be filled by temporary appointees.

President William Gerberding, who planned to retire in June, has extended that date for a few months to give the Board of Regents more time to find his replacement after a yearlong search failed in March. And David Thorud is filling in as provost.

The UW also has an acting vice provost of planning and budgeting and an acting dean of the graduate school. In addition, Wallace Loh, dean of the School of Law, has been a candidate in several executive searches at other major universities.

Also, two regents appointments have expired and are awaiting permanent appointments from Gov. Mike Lowry.

"The urgency of finding the next president is now even greater than it was a few days ago. I wish to assure the university community that this is understood by the Board of Regents and that every effort is being made to accomplish this task," Gerberding said.

Until now, Gerberding has regarded the concern over acting positions as "much ado about nothing." But that is no longer true. "I do not downplay the significance of this loss. This is a huge loss."

Trask, Gerberding said, "has been a mentor to all of us, and his departure will create a large hole in the administration of this complex, $1.5 billion-a-year institution."

The UW's situation may seem precarious, but it's not that unexpected, especially when a president has held office a long time, according to David Merkowitz of the American Council on Education.

"It would not be unusual for people at the second or third level to be open to possibilities," he said.

The fact that the UW presidential search has dragged on longer than typical, Merkowitz added, gives people extra time "to look around or be recruited."

In the short run, few expect the university to suffer.

"The UW is such a huge place. It's an entity of itself. Put it in motion and it works by itself," said Fred Campbell, vice provost and dean of undergraduate education.

However, Campbell explains that Trask's departure could become serious. If the UW doesn't have a new president in place by the time Gerberding's extended appointment is up, Campbell said, then decision-making will have to be delegated. Acting administrators will have to be appointed to fill the vacant jobs, and everyone in administration will rely more heavily on the board of deans and faculty leaders for advice.

It's to the school's advantage, Campbell said, that it is not "wracked by internal dissension" either among units or between faculty and administration - "which means that when we need to reach out and deal with some of these problems together, we can do it."

Executive vice president at the UW since 1987, Trask, 47, earns more than $147,000 a year, making him one of the 10 highest-paid state employees. He has responsibility for the UW's financial management and substantial involvement in planning and policy-making.

"The executive vice president is the city manager," Gerberding said. "He runs the administration side of this university all the way from computing to construction of the capital budget and capital projects to the business function."

Duke University was named sixth among the nation's top 25 comprehensive universities this academic year by U.S. News & World Report, just behind Harvard, Princeton and Yale. Trask will be Duke's chief financial and administrative officer and was chosen from more than 100 candidates after a four-month search.

The appointment is effective Aug. 15, subject to approval by Duke's board of trustees this weekend.

Trask also will have an adjunct academic appointment.