The university plans to name a new president by late February 2016 to replace outgoing interim President Dick McGinity.
The process will involve two committees, each consisting of five UW trustees, two faculty members, two staff members, two students, one Foundation board member and two external members. The two committees will not share members.
The first committee will look over applications and generate a list of 10 to 15 candidates, John MacPherson, chair of the planning committee, said to the board. The second committee will be responsible for narrowing that list down to five or fewer names.ASUW is accepting applications for students to fill four available slots on the first and second committees.
Wyoming Gov. Matt Mead’s brother, Brad Mead, will act as the search recruiter and assist both committees.
A six-member board committee established to kick off the presidential search shared a timeline for the process during this week’s regular board of trustees meeting.
Michelle Sullivan, a trustee on the planning committee, said the search would be more difficult than past searches.
“You have more institutions looking because the tenure of presidents is getting shorter, and you have fewer individuals wanting to apply because the complexity of academia has become greater,” Sullivan said. “It’s not going to be easy.”
“After they get the candidates narrowed down, which will occur sometime in early July, then they will forward those names to the second committee,” MacPherson said.
Trustee President Dave Palmerlee will choose members for both committees, to be approved by the board.
ASUW is accepting applications for the student members of both the first and second committee. All students are welcome to apply.
ASUW will nominate four students, two for each committee for Palmerlee’s and the board’s approval.
In an email sent out to the student body Tuesday, ASUW President Brian Schueler wrote the nominations will “likely include the ASUW president and vice president as well as multiple other candidates.”
Throughout the process, a search recruiter will work with both committees to provide cohesion.
The trustees suggest Brad Mead, a former trustee, for the search recruiter position.
“Based on our familiarity with Brad and his connection with the board of trustees, he was selected,” MacPherson said. “He has agreed to serve in that position.”
Though the timeline is subject to adjustment, MacPherson said campus visits for the second committee’s finalists should be set in stone.
“One adjustment we believe can’t be made is the time when the candidates must come onto campus,” MacPherson said. “We started with that date. We worked back from that date.”
However, until the finalists are chosen, candidates’ names will not be released.
“The confidentiality will be maintained, in respect to the candidates, in the early stages,” MacPherson said. “Obviously, in the later stages we will cross that bridge, and those names will be made public.”
