Washington University officials are working to fill the position of Vice Chancellor of Public Affairs.

The position was vacated at the end of September when Fred Volkmann retired after working at the University for 31 years.

Volkmann sent an email to select members of the community on January 10, 2010 announcing his decision to retire on September 30, 2011.

The Vice Chancellor of Public Affairs serves as the chief communication officer for the University, managing the University’s publications, news and central University public relations.

Although the University has not officially announced a replacement, Executive Vice Chancellor for Administration Hank Webber said that the University has identified very strong candidates. The University expects to resolve the job search within the next couple of months.

The Record announced that a 10-member search committee was named on Sept. 2, 2011.

Webber declined to give out any names or details of prospective candidates.

“I think all of us would hope that we are moving toward [a] resolution. It is by no means unusual to have a delay of a few months between a candidate leaving and a new candidate named,” he said. “Vice Chancellor Volkmann performed with great skill for over 30 years. It’s a challenging search.”

A search committee, chaired by the University’s dean of the Law School Kent Syverud, and an outside search consultant has suggested several candidates to the University administration.

“I think that all senior management searches take a certain amount of time to make sure that you’re coming with exactly the right person,” Webber said, “These are very high level searches, and you want to be absolutely sure you have the right person. This [search] is of course being given the prominence of Washington University in St. Louis.”

To find the candidates, the committee looked at a wide variety of candidates across the country. Webber stressed the significance of the job and the importance of finding the right candidate.

“[The Vice Chancellor of Public Affairs] helps tell the story of the many accomplishments of an outstanding university to a wide variety of audiences, be they prospective students, prospective donors, the news media, the St. Louis community, and the global community,” said Webber. “[We want someone to] help tell the story of the many ways that we contribute to the betterment of human life.”

Though the University has been working without a permanent Vice Chancellor of Public Affairs, Webber said that the operations of the public affairs department have not been affected.

“We have very senior leadership within our public affairs operation. Because of that senior leadership, and because its been a relatively short period of time, we’re doing very well,” he said.