During its Dec. 6 meeting, the University of Oregon Board of Trustees received and unanimously approved a presidential profile that will be used in the search for the university’s next president.
The profile, based on feedback from 40 meetings and in-person and virtual forums, calls for the next leader to personify the institution’s care for and commitment to its purpose of enhancing the social, cultural, physical and economic well-being of the university’s students.
A 22-member presidential search committee spent the fall engaging and listening to the campus community to create the profile and position description that will be used in the board’s executive search. The trustees’ approval allows recruitment efforts to get underway.
“We are excited that the search for the university’s next president takes a big step forward with the board’s action today,” said trustee Connie Seeley, chair of the search committee. “With clear direction provided by a broad swath of the campus community, we can begin the process of finding our next president and build on the incredible momentum we have at the University of Oregon.”
Included among the myriad elements in the profile is someone who “will cultivate and nurture an environment that attracts and supports the highest quality, highest performing, and most diverse faculty, staff, and students to deliver on this mission of academic excellence, research, and public service.”
The profile was the result of dozens of meetings with faculty members, staff, students, volunteers, donors, state and local elected officials, and other members of the university community locally, statewide and beyond.
“We began meeting with stakeholder groups in late September and received excellent feedback on what they want to see in their next president,” said trustee Renee Evans Jackman, vice chair of the search committee. “We heard from a wide range of voices, and their thoughts are all incorporated into this document. It provides an excellent foundation from which we can begin the search process.”
While the search is now in its public phase any information about the candidates will remain confidential, but committee leadership will be providing updates at various stages of the process.
The public can submit recommendations for the university’s next president on the presidential search web page. Parker Executive Search will assist the committee throughout the process.
The board officially launched the search at its Sept. 16 meeting in Portland. That came after the Aug. 11 announcement that former President Michael Schill, who had led the university for seven years as the university’s 18th president, would be leaving the UO to become president at Northwestern University. The board of trustees appointed Patrick Phillips, who had been serving as the provost and senior vice president, as interim president on Aug. 16.
The board intends to appoint the university’s next president by spring.