UP community members have been invited to participate in the presidential search process by providing input through a survey and attending listening sessions.
The Presidential Search Committee met with Shannon McCambridge and Jamie Ferrare — consultants from AGB Search on retainer to assist in the search — to provide an overview of the search process, timeline and responsibilities of the search committee as a whole, according to an email sent to the UP community by the Chair of the Board of Regents, Thomas Arndorfer, on Nov. 23.
“In order to understand the necessary qualifications UP should seek in its next leader, as well as to identify the opportunities and priorities that our next President should embrace upon joining our community, our search consultants will engage in a process of soliciting the perspectives of community members,” Arndorfer said in the email.
The committee is determined to build a qualified and diverse candidate pool from intentional outreach and advertising as they reach the second stage in the six-step presidential search process which goes as follows:
Organizing the Search (the present stage)
Launching the Search and Building the Candidate Pool
Evaluating Candidate Qualifications
Conducting Preliminary Candidate Interviews
Selecting Finalist Candidates to Visit Campus
Final Selection by the Board of Regents
After building the candidate pool, the leadership profile for this role will be placed on the Association of Catholic Colleges and Universities website with various publications such as The Chronicle of Higher Education, Diverse Jobs, Women in High Education, Journal of Blacks in Higher Education, Hispanic Outlook and more.
Arndorfer anticipates that the Board of Regents will select the next President by April 2022.
A survey was included in the email for UP community members to share their desired values in the next President to help craft a search profile and advertisements to attract candidates.
The search consultants are hosting a series of listening sessions for members of the UP community as another opportunity to voice their perspectives.
Sessions for Faculty:
Tuesday, Nov. 30, 5 p.m. to 5:45 p.m. via this Zoom link
Monday, Dec. 6, 5 p.m. to 5:45 p.m. via this Zoom link
Sessions for Staff:
Tuesday, Dec. 7, 12 p.m. to 12:45 p.m. via this Zoom link
Tuesday, Dec. 7, 4 p.m. to 4:45 p.m. via this Zoom link
Sessions for Students: The search consultants are working to schedule a listening session with students post-Christmas break in consultation with Associated Students of the University Portland leadership. In the meantime, students are once again encouraged to offer perspectives in the survey.
More information and updates can be found on the newly launched Presidential Search Website.
Janea Melido is a reporter for The Beacon. She can be reached at melido24@up.edu
