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There are many steps to the presidential search process as noted in Board Resolution 22-08. Further detail is provided in this unofficial example of a timeline, which was provided with the materials for the September 26, 2022 Board meeting. Further details will become clear once a Search Consultant has been retained to advise on the process. The ultimate goal is to have a new president reporting for work no later than July 1, 2023. However, that date is subject to change and could be sooner or later, depending on candidate availability or other factors.
The Board of Trustees has delegated to the Board Chair the responsibility and authority to manage and oversee the search process. Other important roles in the search process are performed by the Presidential Search Committee, the professional Search Consultant, the university community, and the public at large. Ultimately, the Board of Trustees determines the goals of the search process, evaluates finalists, and selects the successful candidate.
The Presidential Search Committee will advise the board chair and search consultant throughout the search process, develop the presidential search profile, host stakeholder forums, screen and review applicants, recommend preliminary finalists, and host finalists on campus.
The search consultant brings expertise in conducting the presidential search process and provides support systems for doing so. Most importantly, the search consultant has the ability to identify highly qualified candidates who are aligned with the university’s mission, vision and strategic goals and who are prepared to lead the university to our next level of success. The search consultant will advise the search committee, board chair, and Board of Trustees on the elements and timeline of the search, assist the search committee with community outreach and information gathering efforts, assist with developing the presidential leadership profile, obtain candidates, provide background information on candidates, facilitate candidate interviews, and provide support to the search committee and others in developing reports and recommendations on candidates.
In addition to making up the majority of the members of the search committee, the university community and general public will play an important role in key stages at the beginning and end of the process. It is expected that, early on, the search committee and the search consultant will conduct broad community outreach for assistance in developing the presidential leadership profile. Likewise, when the final candidates have been identified, public forums will be scheduled with each candidate, in order to gather community perspectives on each candidate, which will be considered by the board in making its selection.
Because the Board wishes to attract the best-qualified candidates possible, a certain degree of caution and candor is necessary. High-caliber candidates often need to be recruited and cultivated in confidence. The premature disclosure of candidate information can have a chilling effect on the willingness of such candidates to be considered and can damage reputations at candidates’ current institutions. Consistent with past practice of the State Board of Higher Education and at other Oregon public universities, the work of the Presidential Search Committee and the identity of candidates will need to be be kept confidential, except for the publication of official statements about the work of the committee, publication of final documents such as the adopted Presidential leadership profile, and the public portions of the interviews of final candidates. Members of the search committee will be required to pledge and maintain adherence to this confidentiality requirement in order to participate.
As important as the role of the Presidential Search Committee is, the committee does not advise the Board of Trustees directly. The committee conducts preliminary work which is then forwarded to the Board Chair for further evaluation and analysis. Consequently, the search committee is not a public body and is not subject to the public meetings law. This allows the committee to maintain the necessary level of confidentiality to conduct a timely and effective search.
The Board of Trustees values and seeks input from university community members and the public. While early stages of candidate review must remain confidential, key stages of the process, such as development of the presidential leadership profile and the review of final candidates will be designed to facilitate participation by the community at large. If you wish to email the board or chair about the search, the best way is through an email to board@eou.edu. This email is monitored by the board secretary, who provides staff support for the committee, and will be handled in accordance with the committee’s internal confidentiality rules.
Please feel free to email board@eou.edu regarding additional questions.