August 24, 2005
To: Members of the Union College Community
From: Frank Messa '73, Presidential Search Committee Chairman
Subject: Presidential Search Committee Activities Update
Although we have been in a predominantly silent phase of our Presidential search over the last few months, I thought it would be helpful to update you on the activities of our committee since my last report.
Following Barbara Taylor's campus visit of April 27 – 28, the Presidential Search Committee met on May 19 at College Park Hall. The committee members were joined by Barbara Taylor of Academic Search Consultants. The highlights of the committee meeting were as follows:
- Steve Ciesinski, Chairman of the Board of Trustees addressed the committee and provided it with a formal charge from the Board of Trustees. He directed the committee members to work deliberately but expeditiously throughout the summer and fall with a goal of presenting to the Board of Trustees 2-3 candidates for ultimate Board review and selection;
- All members of the Presidential Search Committee signed confidentiality agreements which, among other provisions, authorized Frank Messa, as Committee Chairman to be the sole spokesperson for the committee on all matters relating to the Presidential search;
- The committee set a schedule for meetings throughout the summer and fall in order to review resumes, complete reference checks, and interview candidates;
- The committee discussed and provided input on the position prospectus and ads;
- The committee provided input regarding the development and composition of the search website;
- The faculty representatives on the committee agreed to report to the faculty on future involvement of the Faculty Executive Committee and the need for confidentiality in the search process.
Following this meeting in May, Frank Messa reported on the progress of the committee to the Board of Trustees at the May 20 meeting.
During the months of June and July, the committee, and most notably Barbara Taylor, spent the bulk of their time reviewing resumes that had been submitted as well as speaking with potential candidates. As of the end of July, we had received approximately 60 formal applications. The applications were submitted from all over the country and contained a wide variety of backgrounds and qualifications.
Following the deadline for the submission of formal applications, each of the committee members reviewed all of the applications. The committee met on campus on August 11 to review all of the materials and we were able to narrow the candidate pool to 12. Over the next month, the committee members will meet with several of the candidates and conduct background and reference checks on all of the remaining candidates. We will then meet in early September to discuss the results of the reference checks and, if appropriate, further narrow the candidate pool in anticipation of the formal interview process which will begin in September.