Presidential Search Committee Forming

Olivia DrakeSeptember 15, 20064min

Posted 09/15/06
On May 4, 2006, Doug Bennet ’59, P’87, P’94, Wesleyan’s 15th president, announced his decision that the 2006-07 academic year will be the 12th and final year of his presidency. The Wesleyan Board of Trustees is in the process of convening an 18-person search committee composed of alumni, trustees, faculty, staff and students to undertake a comprehensive search to identify and successfully recruit Bennet’s successor.

The alumni and trustee members of the search committee are Kofi Appenteng ’81 and chair, Stephen Daniel ’82, Jim Dresser ’63, Joe Fins ’82, Ellen Jewett ’81, Michael McPherson P’98, Megan Norris ’83, Ted Shaw ’76, Shonni Silverberg ’76, and John Usdan ’80. Peter Patton, vice president and secretary, will also serve as a member of the search committee.

In keeping with the process used in the search that resulted in Doug Bennet’s selection by the Board in 1995, the faculty will select five members and the student body will select two members to join the search committee.

Several other leading colleges and universities will be conducting presidential searches this year, so to ensure that Wesleyan has its first choice among search consultants, several trustees, staff, faculty and students initiated a competitive process to select a search firm in July.

Consultants Jennifer Bol and Michele Haertel from Spencer Stuart will work as search consultants to Wesleyan. They bring a combination of extensive experience in higher education plus world-wide experience in other markets.

“Many thanks to the faculty, student and trustee leadership for enabling the search consultant selection process to proceed so smoothly,” Appenteng says. “We look forward to working with as many of you as possible as we take this important next step in Wesleyan’s future.”

Appenteng says it is critical to have staff on campus to support the search process. Peter Patton, vice president and secretary of the university, professor of earth and environmental sciences, has agreed to serve as executive secretary to the search committee. Patton will be joined by Joan Adams, formerly the assistant to the dean of admission and financial aid, who will serve as special assistant to the Presidential Search Committee.

Current committee members have established a Web site to collect confidential nominations and feedback from the community at http://www.wesleyan.edu/presidentialsearch.

Anyone may make suggestions, comments or nominations to the search committee.

Once the search committee membership is complete, the full search committee will begin a more formal outreach process with the Wesleyan Community and review the submissions.