Board to hire search firm, name screening group
Central Michigan University's presidential search will take several steps forward at Thursday's Board of Trustees meeting.
Steve Smith, director of media relations, said board members are interviewing search firms this week and plan to appoint one Thursday.
The Board also intends to establish a confidentiality agreement and code of ethics for the search, according to a proposal by Board Chairwoman Gail Torreano.
Members of a screening committee, which also will be designated at the meeting, will be asked to sign the agreement, the proposal states.
According to Board policy, trustees must organize a screening committee comprised of various on- and off-campus people who have vested interest in the university.
Policy holds that the Academic Senate chairperson, who currently is Ray Francis, an associate teacher education and professional development professor, will be sought out to serve on the committee, as will the senate chairperson-elect, who has not yet been selected.
In addition, the Student Government Association president, Mount Pleasant junior Jason Nichol, and the president of the CMU Alumni Association Board of Directors, Tom Lapka, a 1978 CMU alumnus, are designated to the committee, the policy states.
Board members will designate four trustees and an alternate to serve on the committee, as well as an administrator, a member of the general public and up to three additional people, as deemed necessary.
Torreano announced plans in March to launch a Web site at the end of April, specifically geared toward the search. Smith said last week the Web site will launch soon, beginning with very basic information at first, and building as the search progresses.
"It's standard when a university has a presidential search that a Web site is created," he said in March.
Smith said the Web site will serve two main purposes: to post qualifications on the presidential position for anyone who may be interested in applying, and to keep the general public in the loop on new developments.
He said Torreano is looking to possibly hold an open forum before the end of the academic year to seek input from the campus community on its visions for the next university president. Because the school year quickly is coming to a close, Smith said there is a limited time frame for the event to take place.
"That's certainly a top priority in the presidential search at this place in time," he said.
Smith said trustees still must address the process of gathering input from those in ProfEd and off-campus programs who are not in the Mount Pleasant area.
"Somebody can't make it to an open forum," he said. "How do they have a voice in this whole process?"
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