Search Process & Timeline
Father Dennis Dease announced on May 10, 2012, that he will retire on June 30, 2013, after 22 years in office. Shortly thereafter, a presidential search committee was established and commenced the process to search for the next president of St. Thomas. The executive search firm Witt/Kieffer has been retained to assist the search committee with its work.
Charge to the Search Committee
The presidential search committee has been charged to conduct a national search to identify a broad and diverse pool of qualified candidates, which the search committee will assess, evaluate and narrow down. After interviews, due diligence and consultation, the search committee will nominate an individual for consideration as the next president of the University of St. Thomas. The Board of Trustees has sole responsibility for selecting the president.
Preparation of Presidential Leadership Profile
In May and June 2012, Witt/Kieffer worked with the university to gather input from the St. Thomas community regarding the key objectives for the next president and the skills, experience and attributes the next president should possess. To obtain this input, the Witt/Kieffer consultants:
- Held seven forums for faculty, staff and students
- Held two forums for alumni leaders
- Held a forum for trustees
- Met with senior academic and administrative leaders
- Issued an open invitation for input to the St. Thomas community, including more than 40,000 alumni
In these forums, meetings and invitations, the consultants asked:
- What is unique and distinctive about St. Thomas?
- What are the top five items for the next president to address?
- What qualities, qualifications and experiences would it take for the next president to successfully address these items?
Witt/Kieffer consolidated the information it obtained, without attribution. Using this information, the presidential search committee worked with Witt/Kieffer to draft and publish the leadership profile for the next president.
Call for Nominations & Applications
In July 2012, the search committee published the leadership profile and called for nominations and applications for the next president. The search consultants will review and follow up on all nominations and applications and will actively identify and recruit potential candidates. Recruitment will continue until the position is filled.
Candidate Assessments
The presidential search committee is scheduled to review and assess candidate credentials and identify semi-finalists in October 2012. The committee expects to interview semi-finalists and select finalists for the position in November 2012. Additional interviews with the finalists, along with campus visits, will be conducted as determined by the search committee. The committee has not yet determined the process for finalist interviews or campus visits or who will be involved in these meetings.
Recommendation of Nominee
After the finalist review process is completed, the search committee will select and recommend a nominee to the Board of Trustees for election as the next president of the University of St. Thomas. The search committee expects to recommend a nominee to the Board of Trustees by the end of 2012.