First UW Presidential Search Committee to Seek Public Input

The first of two committees charged with identifying candidates for the University of Wyoming presidency plans to seek input from the public and UW stakeholder groups regarding desired qualifications and characteristics of a new president.

During the initial meeting of the first presidential search committee Wednesday, members agreed to solicit such input during meetings on campus and, perhaps, at other locations in the state. The sessions likely will be scheduled in mid- to late September and will be led by Storbeck Pimental, the consulting firm assisting with the search.

In the meantime, advertising of the position will begin soon in national higher education publications.

“The committee wants to hear from the people of the state about what they want to see in our next president, even as we begin recruiting applicants to lead the university,” says UW Board of Trustees member Jeff Marsh of Torrington, who chairs the first search committee.

The next meeting of the committee -- composed of 14 people representing the Board of Trustees, students, faculty, staff, the UW Foundation and the public -- is scheduled Oct. 2.

The committee is charged with helping launch the search, considering applications for the presidency and identifying a list of 10-15 candidates who warrant further consideration. In addition to Marsh, its members are trustees Dave True, of Casper, Mike Massie, of Laramie, Michelle Sullivan, of Sheridan, and Mel Baldwin, of Afton; Associate Professor Deborah McGriff of the College of Education; Law Professor Jacquelyn Bridgeman, who has served as interim dean of the College of Law; Noah Hull, doctoral student in the College of Agriculture and Natural Resources; Susan Manown, who’s pursuing law and Master of Business Administration degrees at UW; Kelly Wiseman, staff assistant in the College of Agriculture and Natural Resources; Mark Gunnerson, control specialist in the UW Physical Plant; UW Foundation board member April Brimmer Kunz; Susan Stubson, of Casper; and John Turner, of Moose.

Also involved in Wednesday’s meeting was former trustee Brad Mead, of Jackson, designated by the Board of Trustees as the search recruiter, and Storbeck Pimentel representatives.

Committee members agreed that input gathered from stakeholder groups and the public would be used to develop criteria to evaluate candidates for the presidency. That input will be added to comments received by a subcommittee of the Board of Trustees when it held public and stakeholder meetings earlier this year to seek input on the search process.

Once the first search committee identifies a list of 10-15 semifinalists -- whose names will remain confidential -- a second committee is charged with interviewing those candidates and selecting three to five finalists. Those finalists will be identified publicly and come to campus for public forums.

Members of the second committee are trustees Dave Bostrom, of Worland (chair), John McKinley, of Cheyenne, Dick Scarlett, of Jackson, John MacPherson, of Saratoga, and Wava Tully, of Lusk; Professor Cynthia Weinig of the departments of Botany and Molecular Biology, and the Program in Ecology; Professor Jason Shogren of the Department of Economics and Finance; law student Joel Defebaugh, a former president of the Associated Students of UW (ASUW); Brian Schueler, current ASUW president; Josh Decker, manager of UW Real Estate Operations; Rachel Stevens, data and communications manager in the School of Pharmacy; UW Foundation board member Greg Hill; Lynne Cheney, of Jackson; and Lynne Boomgaarden, of Cheyenne.

The full Board of Trustees will interview the finalists and select the next president, possibly as early as late December.

Written comments about the desired qualifications and characteristics of the next president are being accepted via email at UW.Presidential.Search@uwyo.edu. For complete information about the presidential search, go to www.uwyo.edu/presidentsearch/.