Specialized Resources
Dear Members of the Connecticut College Community,
We write today to update you on the progress of the Presidential Search Committee, which recently began its work, and met in person during the recent Board of Trustees meetings.
Our first step was to establish the guiding principles of the Committee:
Priority: We are a 15-member committee with representatives from faculty, staff, students, and trustees selected by each constituency as individuals well-suited to serve in this significant role. We pledge to make this Committee a top priority until the search is completed.
Respect: We each bring a variety of experiences and perspectives to the Committee. We pledge to listen, learn, and engage respectfully with each other during the selection process and will do our best to balance the perspectives of Conn’s broad and varied constituencies while remaining focused on the College’s mission and needs as a whole.
Confidentiality: As candidates consider the opportunity of serving as our next president, we must respect and maintain confidentiality. Most candidates are likely to be currently serving at senior levels of other institutions, and they will require confidentiality to explore Conn’s opportunity without jeopardizing their current role. In addition, our committee has a shared understanding that internal meeting discussions remain confidential before any decision has been reached. This is to uphold the integrity of the search process and create a safe space for honest and open dialogue.
We plan to communicate with the Conn community during the search and plan to establish a dedicated space on the College’s website where we will regularly update our committee’s progress.
Our Next Step: Selecting a Search Firm
We have solicited proposals from several national executive search firms that specialize in higher education and have established a process to evaluate and narrow those proposals to the ones that best serve Connecticut College. We will do in-depth interviews with the finalists shortly and plan to select by late-June. Among the first steps of the selected search consultant will be the process of seeking input from a cross-section of College constituents: senior administrators, faculty, staff, students, alumni, parents and other friends and supporters of the College to provide input that will inform the position specification for our next President. We will provide an update to the Conn community once the consultant is selected.
During this time of transition, we appreciate the support of the Conn community and will continue to be guided by the mission and values of Connecticut College.
Cordially,
Debo P. Adegbile ’91
Chair, Board of Trustees and Committee Co-Chair
Maria Wyckoff Boyce ’85
Member, Board of Trustees and Committee Co-Chair