Message from Board of Regents Chair Tom Arndorfer to the University Community (March 21, 2022)
Dear Members of the University of Portland Community,
I write once again to provide you with an update on the University’s Presidential Search Process.
In the weeks since my last message, the Presidential Search Committee conducted a series of interviews with a deeply talented and diverse slate of semi-finalist candidates. After concluding these semi-finalist interviews, the Search Committee selected those individuals whose background and experience most closely align with the leadership attributes set forth in the Presidential Profile. These finalists will advance in our search for UP’s next President. The selected finalists are higher education leaders from a diverse range of backgrounds who have a commitment to advancing UP’s Catholic, Holy Cross mission of teaching and learning, faith and formation, and service and leadership.
In the coming weeks, the finalists will be invited to Portland for meetings with representatives of the faculty, staff, students, and alumni, as well as the Board of Regents. As you know the Board is ultimately responsible for selecting UP’s next President. After much deliberation, discussion and discernment, it has been decided that the next phase of the Search Process will be conducted confidentially. Although this was a challenging decision to make, maintaining candidate confidentiality has been critical in our efforts to attract and retain the best candidates. Further, the finalists’ (each of whom occupy senior leadership positions at other institutions) willingness to participate in this next phase was conditioned upon our affirmation that it will be conducted confidentially. Maintaining confidentiality of finalist candidates is also consistent with best practices and has been the model used at other universities in recently conducted presidential searches. Although we share your disappointment that open forums on campus are not possible, please know we believe proceeding confidentially best advances the interests of our search and the University.
On behalf of the Search Committee and Board of Regents, thank you for your ongoing interest and support of these efforts. Please continue to keep this search in your prayers, and I look forward to providing further updates on this important work in the future.
Sincerely,
Thomas D. Arndorfer
Chair, Board of Regents
Message from Board of Regents Chair Tom Arndorfer to the University Community (January 25, 2022)
Dear Members of the UP Community,
I trust that this email finds you well and enjoying your spring semester on The Bluff. I write today to provide another update on the University Presidential Search Process.
As you know, the national search for the University’s next president was launched in December. Letters requesting nominations and expressions of interest, including a link to the Presidential Profile, were sent to approximately 1,000 higher education leaders across the country. In addition, online ads for the position were posted on higher education web sites. These efforts included intentional outreach to publications with diverse readership, as well as outreach to publications with a focus on Catholic higher education. To date we have received many inquiries, nominations, and applications from qualified candidates, and we are pleased with the progress of the Search.
The month of January has been a very busy time for the Presidential Search Committee. At its most recent meeting, the Search Committee discussed the candidate evaluation process, which is based on the leadership priorities and attributes set forth in the University’s Presidential Profile. They also continued utilizing key learnings from the Workshop on Inclusive Hiring conducted at the outset of our search and led by Associate Provost for International Education, Diversity and Inclusion, Dr. Eduardo Contreras. Immediately following the meeting, Search Committee members began reviewing applications, and their review process will continue until the next meeting in mid-February.
At the next Committee meeting, the applicant pool will be reduced to a smaller number of qualified candidates. These individuals will be advanced in the search and invited to attend preliminary interviews with the Search Committee.
We once again ask that you continue to consider individuals who might be strong candidates for the Presidential leadership opportunity. Please forward your suggestions to Laird Desmond (laird.desmond@agbsearch.com), AGB Research Associate, who will relay them to our lead consultants, Jamie Ferrare, Ph.D., and Shannon McCambridge, J.D., LL.M. They will promptly respond to any nominations. Be advised that the identity of the nominator remains confidential. Many of you have already taken advantage of the opportunity to nominate qualified candidates, and we thank you.
This is a very important moment in the history of the University of Portland. On behalf of the Search Committee, we thank you for your continued interest and support for this work.
Sincerely,
Thomas D. Arndorfer
Chair, Board of Regents
Message from Board of Regents Chair Tom Arndorfer to the University Community (December 21, 2021)
Dear Members of the University Community,
I trust that this message finds you well and looking forward to the Christmas and holiday season. I write today to update you on the University’s Presidential Search Process.
As you are hopefully aware, our partners from AGB Search have spent the past several weeks interacting with our community and gaining perspectives on the qualities we should seek in our next leader. Through a series of listening sessions and an online survey, they have sought insights on the attributes that would make our next president successful, as well as the priorities, opportunities, and challenges that our president should embrace upon joining the UP community.
Through a collaborative process involving our Presidential Search Committee, AGB utilized the perspectives they gleaned from community members to develop a Presidential Leadership Profile. The Profile, which may be viewed in full on the Presidential Search website, will be used to recruit a qualified and diverse pool of candidates.
I take this opportunity to thank the many members of the UP community who participated in our engagement process. Your views are deeply valued by AGB Search and our Presidential Search Committee, and will only serve to strengthen our Presidential Search Process. I look forward to entering into the next phase of our efforts, and to finding the next great leader for our beloved institution. My best wishes are with you and your loved ones for a Merry Christmas, Happy Holidays, and a joyous New Year.
Sincerely,
Thomas D. Arndorfer
Chair, Board of Regents
Message from Board of Regents Chair Tom Arndorfer to the University Community (November 28, 2021)
Dear Members of the UP Community,
I pray that this message finds you well and looking ahead to the Thanksgiving holiday later this week. The purpose of this message is to provide an update on the national search for our next President.
Our Progress Thus Far and Our Path Forward
The Presidential Search Committee has now met with Shannon McCambridge, J.D., LL.M., and Jamie Ferrare, Ph.D., the consultants from AGB Search, who have been retained to assist the University with this search. During a recent meeting, Ms. McCambridge and Dr. Ferrare provided an overview of the search process and search timeline and highlighted the roles and responsibilities of the Search Committee Chair, the Search Administrator, the individual Search Committee Members, and the Search Committee as a whole. The importance of maintaining confidentiality was also emphasized as essential in ensuring the integrity of the presidential search process.
Our consultants also emphasized the University’s commitment to building a qualified and diverse candidate pool through intentional outreach and advertising. Once prepared, the leadership profile for this role will be placed on the Association of Catholic Colleges & Universities website and with such publications as The Chronicle of Higher Education, Diverse Jobs, Women in Higher Education, Journal of Blacks in Higher Education, Hispanic Outlook, and more.
As we move forward, our search will proceed in the following stages:
Candidate reference and background checks are also completed at various phases in the process in accordance with relevant law. We anticipate finalist candidates visiting campus in mid-March and that the Board of Regents will select the next President by April 2022.
Survey Form and Listening Sessions
In order to understand the necessary qualifications UP should seek in its next leader, as well as to identify the opportunities and priorities that our next President should embrace upon joining our community, our search consultants will engage in a process of soliciting the perspectives of community members.
I encourage you to provide your views using this online Survey Form. We hope that you will use this form to share your perspectives on the opportunities/priorities and leadership qualifications of the presidential position. Please know you may complete the survey anonymously. In addition, your feedback will only be seen by our search consultants and the search committee chair.
Our search consultants will also host a series of Listening Sessions for members of the UP community. In fact, a few of these Listening Sessions have already taken place and others are taking place this week.
While our Sessions will pause for the Thanksgiving holiday, they will resume next week and in the remaining days of the semester, as set forth below:
Advance registration for these sessions is not required. Please note that Listening Sessions with other University community members, including alumni leaders, will take place in the days and weeks ahead.
Presidential Search Website
We have recently launched a Presidential Search Website to serve as a hub of information relating to this important work. Please visit the website to learn more about our efforts to find the University’s twenty-first President.
Conclusion
In closing, UP’s Presidential Search Process is off to a wonderful start. Chairing the Board of Regents during this exciting time is an honor. I offer my sincere gratitude to Regent Tim Morgan for graciously agreeing to chair the Search Committee. I am also grateful to all of our colleagues who have agreed to serve as Search Committee Members, our Search Administrator, Evan Leadem, and Michael Lewellen and his team for completing the Presidential leadership profile. And, a special thanks to all of you. Your interest in and support of the Presidential Search is greatly appreciated. I wish you a Happy Thanksgiving spent alongside family and friends.
Sincerely,
Thomas D. Arndorfer
Chair, Board of Regents
Message from Board of Regents Chair Tom Arndorfer to the University Community (November 12, 2021) (Note: The original version of this message contained additional information not relevant to the Presidential Search Process. This information has been removed from the text below.)
Dear UP Community,
On behalf of the Board of Regents, let me thank you for your efforts that have brought life back to The Bluff this fall. Your commitment to vaccinations, face masks, safety protocols and, when needed, care and isolation, have contributed tremendously to a safe, healthy semester. During the recent Regents meeting – our first in-person gathering in more than 18 months – it was heartwarming to experience the energy and vibrancy of faculty, staff and students being on campus once again.
This message is meant to keep you informed about some very important issues and initiatives underway that will impact the future of the University of Portland.
We are proud to announce that Washington, DC-based AGB Search has been chosen by our Presidential Search Committee as the executive recruitment consultants to manage our search for a new president. Founded by the Association of Governing Boards of Universities and Colleges in 2010, AGB Search specializes in executive search, interim search and compensation evaluation services for higher education institutions. This firm was chosen at the conclusion of a competitive proposal and bid process that attracted responses from multiple well-qualified firms from across the country. AGB Search has deep experience conducting presidential searches on behalf of Catholic, mission-based institutions, and possesses an extraordinary track record in cultivating qualified and diverse candidate pools. The firm’s engagement with our internal Search Committee is now underway with the goal of naming the 21st president in UP history by next spring. The team from AGB Search, which is being led by Shannon McCambridge and Jamie Ferrare, will soon organize a series of listening sessions in order to gather input from the UP community on the qualities and competencies we will seek in our next president.
With Sincere Gratitude,
Thomas D. Arndorfer
Chair, University of Portland Board of Regents
Message from Board of Regents Chair Tom Arndorfer to the University Community (October 11, 2021)
Dear UP Community,
When we last communicated with you in August, we committed to updates as appropriate on the planning and progress around the search for a new president for our beloved University of Portland. We share with you now some of our latest developments.
You’ll recall our plans included naming a diverse and engaged search committee to oversee the process chaired by UP Board of Regents member Timothy Morgan, ’86. That committee is fully constituted and has begun its work. The names and affiliations of those committee members are as follows:
Committee members are currently engaged in the process of selecting an executive search firm that will assist the University with this important work. The name of the search firm will be shared with the UP Community at a later date.
Rest assured, we will approach this responsibility with the highest levels of thoroughness, commitment and focus. There will be many facets to this effort ranging from information-gathering across our University community to managing the important steps necessary to identify and recruit qualified candidates.
It’s also a safe assumption that some of our potential candidates may currently be employed as higher education leaders elsewhere. Because of that, a certain amount of confidentiality will have to be maintained at key points in our search until such time that public knowledge of those being considered becomes necessary.
As noted previously and in recognition of the long-standing special relationship between the Congregation of Holy Cross and UP, Holy Cross priests will be considered for the presidency. Our search, however, will also be open and national in its scope, and higher education leaders of other backgrounds will also be considered. The ultimate goal is to attract and hire the best possible president for this great institution, and have that person in place by the start of our next fiscal year on July 1, 2022.
Your patience and prayerful support continue to be welcome and necessary. We look forward to reporting additional progress again soon.
With Sincere Gratitude,
Thomas D. Arndorfer
Chair, University of Portland Board of Regents
Message from Board of Regents Chair Tom Arndorfer to the University Community (August 20, 2021)
Dear University of Portland Community,
On behalf of the Board of Regents, we welcome you to the new 2021-22 academic year and your return to The Bluff. We are enduring the challenge of the COVID-19 pandemic with prayer, optimism, vaccinations and a commitment to the Catholic, Holy Cross mission of the University of Portland. Thanks to the efforts and support of UP students, staff, faculty, parents, alumni and benefactors, we now find ourselves at a new beginning, while still doing all we can to remain safe and healthy.
I write to update you on the search for a new president of this great institution. UP is blessed to have an educator and academic executive like Dr. Herbert A. Medina currently serving as both Acting President and Provost; he will continue in these roles throughout the fall and spring terms. However, the goal still remains to bring aboard a permanent successor to Rev. Mark L. Poorman, C.S.C.
A search committee has been empaneled under the chairmanship of UP Regent Timothy Morgan (’86). He is joined by other members of the Board of Regents along with select faculty and administrative leaders to engage in this important process. An executive search firm is also being hired as a supplemental resource to help identify the most qualified and diverse slate of candidates possible.
In the tradition of our University, Congregation of Holy Cross priests will be among the candidates presented for consideration. This will also be an open search that is national in scope, and available to any interested higher education leader whose background and experiences meet the specifications for this important role. Ultimately, we hope to have the 21st president of UP in place by July 1, 2022.
Until then, we ask for your patience and supportive prayers over the coming months as our search committee does its work. When appropriate, we will update the UP community on our progress.
With Sincere Gratitude,
Thomas D. Arndorfer
Chair, University of Portland Board of Regents
University of Portland
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