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Presidential Search Committee update

August 15, 2024

MEMORANDUM

TO: ÃÛѨÊÓƵ Community

FROM: Kirby Dyess and Marv Henberg, Search Committee Co-Chairs

RE: ÃÛѨÊÓƵ Presidential Search

The Presidential Search Committee met today, and we write to update you on our progress. At today’s meeting the Search Committee participated in an anti-bias workshop led by AGB Search Consultant Shannon McCambridge. We also embraced a framework for ethical decision-making that will remind every committee member of the need to be aware of implicit bias as we assess credentials. The Committee also reviewed and adopted a candidate assessment form that we will use in evaluating the written applications for President, ensuring all candidates are evaluated by a common and clear set of criteria.

Between now and our next meeting on October 8, the members of the Search Committee will be reviewing applicant files. At that meeting we will reduce the active pool of candidates to a short list of semifinalists whose references will be interviewed and who will be invited to a Zoom interview with the Search Committee in later in October.

Until our “full consideration” deadline of October 4, we will continue to receive applications. We encourage you to consider persons who might provide strong and effective leadership for the University. As names come to mind, we would ask you to forward them to us so that we might be in contact with them. You will find the qualities we seek in our next President listed in the search profile.

The name(s) and contact information for potential candidates may be emailed to ÃÛѨÊÓƵPres@agbsearch.com or directly to our AGB Search Consultants, Loren Anderson loren.anderson@agbsearch.com or Shannon McCambridge shannon.mccambridge@agbsearch.com. Any information you provide will be treated as strictly confidential.

We are very pleased with the size of the applicant pool and the quality of candidates who have indicated their interest in our search thus far.   The next phase of full review of credentials will be exciting and will stretch us all as we identify the best person to be our next president.  Search Committee members are sworn to secrecy until we reveal a slate of candidates for public interviews in mid-November.  We ask you to refrain from seeking any identifying information about applicants from members of the committee. 

We will be in touch with another update following our next meeting in October.