Lawrence Today magazine, Fall 2003
Memorial Day this year marked not only the approach of summer but also the beginning of another phase in the presidential search process at Lawrence. In May, the Presidential Search Committee, in conjunction with consultant Barbara Taylor of Academic Search of Washington, D.C., completed a position prospectus outlining the challenges and aspirations for the college’s next president and a list of the desired characteristics candidates would bring to the job.
In establishing expectations for the search, the committee said, “Above all, the president of Lawrence University must be a true leader, able to combine a clear personal vision for the institution with a sincere commitment to collaboration, all in pursuit of an ever stronger and more secure institution.”
The summer months were spent generating a suitable candidate pool for the position, through advertising in the Chronicle of Higher Education; the work of the search consultant; and nominations offered by alumni, friends of the college, and others familiar with Lawrence’s strengths and commitment to liberal education.
During the autumn, the search process will, as Board of Trustees Chair Jeffrey Riester, ’70, observed in the Spring issue of Lawrence Today, “go dark,” as the search committee identifies and conducts preliminary interviews with a short list of candidates. It is anticipated that finalists will be brought to campus during Winter Term 2004 for formal, in-depth interviews with the search committee and other members of the Lawrence community.