Last modified: Friday, November 4, 2005
The Trustees of Indiana University issue statement and resolution supporting president
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Nov. 4, 2005
RICHMOND, Ind. -- The Trustees of Indiana University passed a resolution on Friday directing IU President Adam W. Herbert to expedite the search for a new senior vice president for academic affairs and chancellor of the Bloomington campus.
Before the resolution was passed, Trustee President Stephen L. Ferguson issued a statement from the Trustees.
STATEMENT BY FERGUSON:
The Board of Trustees understands and strongly supports the president's decision to continue the search.
Like many others, we were looking forward to the successful conclusion of the search process. However, the overriding importance of this position to the entire institution demands that we continue. The easy decision would have been to select one of the three candidates forwarded by the search committee; the more difficult decision is to continue the search.
It is important to remember that the individual we are seeking will hold two portfolios: one as the chancellor of the Bloomington campus, and one as the senior vice president for academic affairs. The latter is a crucial university-wide position that requires a unique range of skills, experience and insight that extends beyond a single campus.
The board believes that we should not be restricted to a list of recommended candidates for any position, and that we should be willing to reopen or continue a search to find the very best candidate.
Although we have seen what can happen when the right individual is not selected for a given position, Dr. Herbert has already demonstrated his talent for making excellent personnel decisions. Every appointment that he has submitted to us over the past two years has been outstanding. He clearly wants to bring only the very best people to the university, and the board has every confidence in his ability to do so.
The board also believes that it is not in the best interest of IU to extend what has become a long and cumbersome process. We do not have to wait another six months to conclude this search. It must be expedited. Trustees would like to see a new senior vice president in office very early in the spring term. We ask the members of the search committee to alter their personal schedules to accomplish this goal. We know that they are busy people, and we thank them in advance for their cooperation. We expect the committee to proceed immediately to bring one or more new candidates to the president for him to submit to the board.
Finally, we believe that the faculty and the president must establish a new, expedited search process for senior academic positions -- one that can maintain candidate confidentiality and involve a smaller but representative committee that can move more quickly.
RESOLUTION FROM THE BOARD OF TRUSTEES:
WHEREAS: The Board of Trustees hereby declares full support for President Adam W. Herbert's decision to continue the search for the position of senior vice president for academic affairs and cancellor of the Bloomington campus; and
WHEREAS: The Board of Trustees concurs with the president's decision to ask the search and screen committee to provide a slate of new candidates for consideration by the president, with the name of a finalist forwarded to the Board of Trustees for action;
THEREFORE, be it resolved that the Board of Trustees hereby directs the president to work with the search and screen committee to expedite the search process with the intent of filling the position as early as possible in the spring semester, and
That the Board of Trustees directs the president to work with faculty governance to prescribe new procedures for filling future senior academic positions that will result in appointments being made in a more timely manner.
