Connecticut College

Dear members of the Connecticut College community,

We are pleased to share the results of the many Presidential Search community engagement meetings and surveys that have been conducted since the beginning of September. Our search firm, WittKieffer, conducted 43 meetings with students, faculty, staff, administrators, parents, alumni and trustees, both in person and virtually. Between those meetings and the multiple surveys filled out online, more than 500 members of our College community have shared their feedback. Our search partners were impressed by the thoughtfulness of the community and its affection for and tremendous commitment to Connecticut College. As co-chairs, we thank each of you who dedicated your time to and perspective during this phase of the process.

From those meetings, WittKieffer identified five key recurring themes:

The College community wants to:

• be engaged in crafting a future vision;
• build financial resiliency by expanding and aligning resources with future strategic priorities;
• recommit and work to build a stronger culture of equity, inclusion, belonging and transparency;
• invest in infrastructure and operational excellence; and
• celebrate and promote Conn's distinction and value within our community and across a broader audience.

Our community also provided important feedback about the attributes that the next president will require to address these objectives for the College. All of this feedback will go into the next stage of our search—defining the Connecticut College presidential leadership profile—which will be completed by the end of October. Once finalized, the profile will be posted on the presidential search page and distributed to potential candidates. The profile is intended to attract a qualified and motivated pool of strong candidates, the most promising of whom will be selected for deeper engagement and assessment as candidates.

Additionally, WittKieffer has already received more than 50 nominations from the College community for potential candidates for the role of president. Some potential candidates themselves have made initial inquiries about the position as well. WittKieffer is vetting these individuals along with others whom they will identify through their independent research.

The Presidential Search Committee is deeply appreciative for all of the feedback you have provided to date, and we look forward to continuing the collaborative process.

Lastly, we want to thank Lauren Middleton, secretary of the College, for coordinating the schedules of so many to set up these important meetings in a timely fashion.

Cordially,

Debo P. Adegbile ’91
Chair, Board of Trustees and Committee Co-Chair

Maria Wyckoff Boyce ’85
Vice Chair, Board of Trustees and Committee Co-Chair