Please Provide Input on the Presidential Profile

Dear Members of the Randolph College Community,

I trust the academic year is off to a wonderful start. As indicated in previous communications, I will periodically update everyone on the search for the College’s next president. The Search Committee has begun the presidential search process by preparing a draft statement to capture what we all want in our next president. To this end, we have engaged a broad group of constituencies of Randolph College to articulate their hopes for the future of the College and the professional talents and personal qualities they believe Randolph’s 10th president should possess. In mid-August, our search consultant Dr. Kate Haley from Witt/Kieffer visited campus and met with various groups of faculty, staff, and students, while also having teleconferences with members of the Board of Trustees and the Alumnae and Alumni Association.

Dr. Haley, with assistance from those on campus, has developed a presidential profile, which the Presidential Search Committee is reviewing to ensure that it accurately captures what the College needs in its next president. When the Committee completes this work this week, the draft profile will be shared with the campus community, as well as members of the Board of Trustees and the Alumnae and Alumni Association Board for further comments. I would like to invite each of you to attend one of the following town hall meetings to share your feedback:

Town Hall Meeting for Faculty
September 4, 4:30 p.m.
Martin 315     

Town Hall Meeting for Staff
September 6, 4 p.m.
Martin 315

Town Hall Meeting for Students
September 6, 5:15 p.m.
Martin 315

Following these sessions and similar sessions with members of the Board of Trustees and members of the Alumnae and Alumni Association Board, the Committee will once again refine the profile based on input gathered from the College community. We anticipate publishing the profile, placing ads, and beginning the search in earnest on or around October 1.

At that point, members of the community will be encouraged to submit nominations for the position. This will also be the point in the search where you will hear less from me about the progress of the search, as Dr. Haley and her associates at Witt/Kieffer will be actively recruiting candidates, and there will be little to report.

By the end of the year, the Committee will narrow the pool of applicants to approximately 8-10 semifinalists who will be interviewed in early 2013. The Committee has been charged to submit the names of three unranked candidates to the Board of Trustees for their consideration. It is anticipated that the Board will select among these three candidates by mid-March.

While all of us would like to have the finalist interviews open to the full community, current best practices for presidential searches across the nation suggest that the College will receive higher quality applicants if the search remains as confidential as possible. In today’s market for college and university presidents, applicants grow increasingly concerned that knowledge by those on their home campus that they are considering a new opportunity will jeopardize their current position or their ability to be successful in that position. The Board will ask each of the three finalists if they are comfortable participating in an open process. If all three agree to an open process, the full community will have the opportunity to meet the finalist candidates. If one of these candidates, however, expresses a desire for their candidacy to remain confidential, all candidates will remain confidential. Our goal is to announce the College’s 10th president in early 2013.

I want to thank each of you again for your participation in this important process. I also want to encourage you to attend one of the town hall meetings to provide your input into the search. Should you have any questions or comments about the search, please do not hesitate to contact myself or Wes Fugate, who serves as staff to the Committee.

Sincerely,

Tom Faulders, Chair
Presidential Search Committee