By Michelle Lampariello
Managing Editor
The Presidential Search Committee has narrowed its selection of candidates to serve as the College’s next president to a small group of finalists, according to a campus-wide email from Presidential Search Committee Chair Susanne Svizeny (’79) sent on Wednesday, Feb. 7.
While information about the candidates’ identities remains confidential, Svizeny told The Signal that “they are thoughtful, successful leaders.”
The College is proud to have a relatively open selection process for the presidential search. Svizeny encourages members of the campus community to make their voices heard as the committee continues to interview the final candidates.
Other institutions for higher education opt for a closed process to maintain confidentiality of the candidates, but Svizeny assured campus stakeholders that they can still have a role in the selection process without the committee revealing the identities of the candidates.
“Please be assured that we are identifying these opportunities for members of our community, beyond the search committee membership, to be engaged in the next stage of candidate evaluation,” Svizeny said. “These individuals will help to shape the consideration of the finalists, while still meeting the privacy wishes of our distinguished group.”
The committee is on track to recommend a final candidate to the Board of Trustees by the end of the spring 2018 semester before current President R. Barbara Gitenstein retires in June.
Svizeny is confident in the committee’s ability to not only select a candidate on schedule, but to select the most fitting candidate from the small pool of finalists.
“Please know that everyone in the community had the opportunity to provide feedback to the profile that was used through the search process by the committee and our consultants in developing the pool,” Svizeny told The Signal. “The committee has broad representation across the campus and was careful to rely on this community input in its vetting of the candidate pool?.”
After a rigorous vetting process, the committee is pleased with the group of finalists that has emerged.
“I can tell you that the committee is thrilled with the quality and caliber of the candidates,” Svizeny said.
