Board of Regents to meet May 30 to consider presidential search items

The University of Nebraska Board of Regents will meet on Thursday, May 30, to consider several items related to the recently launched search for the next NU president.

The meeting will begin at 9 a.m. in the Board Room of Varner Hall, 3835 Holdrege St. in Lincoln. It is open to the public and will be audio-streamed live at www.nebraska.edu. The complete agenda is available here.

The Board will consider a report that affirms the Board’s delegation of authority to NU staff to enter into an agreement with leading national firm AGB Search, LLC, to assist in the presidential search.

AGB Search, LLC, is an affiliate of the Association of Governing Boards of Universities and Colleges, a national nonprofit that works to advance higher education governance through research, services and advocacy. AGB Search provides executive search consulting services to higher education institutions.

Pending the Board’s approval of the report next Thursday, the lead consultants for the NU search will be Dr. Rod McDavis, managing principal for AGB Search and former president of Ohio University; Dr. Sally Mason, executive search consultant and president emerita of the University of Iowa; and Dr. Garry Owens, executive search consultant and founding dean of the College of Visual and Performing Arts at Texas Tech University. The firm’s deliverables will include:

• Facilitation of a pre-search study, including in-person meetings with representatives from the Board of Regents, the Presidential Search Advisory Committee, faculty, staff, students, alumni and other constituencies to ensure input on the needs of the university and an understanding of desirable leadership attributes for the next president.
• Development of a comprehensive leadership profile, guided by stakeholder feedback, that will include information about the position, the university and the community.
• Cultivation and recruitment of a diverse candidate pool.
• Facilitation of reference checks and extensive background checks of candidates.

“The selection of our next president is a critically important decision for the University of Nebraska. We’re fortunate that we will be assisted in this process by one of the best teams in the business,” said Board of Regents Chairman Tim Clare. “Drs. McDavis, Mason and Owens bring a deep understanding of the work and missions of public universities, a commitment to a broadly inclusive process, and an excitement about the opportunity to find the right person to build on the university’s momentum. I look forward to working with them in the months ahead and introducing them more fully to the University of Nebraska community.”

Also next Thursday, the Board will potentially consider, following a closed-session discussion, the appointment of an interim NU president. If the Board determines an interim president, information about the appointment will be available following the Board’s discussion.

Clare said that as part of its commitment to engaging the public throughout the search process, the Board is continuing to work to schedule public listening sessions on each NU campus to hear directly from stakeholders about the search. Dates, times and locations of the listening sessions will be announced when they are determined.

The Board also continues to solicit nominations for the Presidential Search Advisory Committee, which will work closely with the search firm to guide the process. Nominations should be submitted to presidentsearch@nebraska.edu by close of business on May 31. Stakeholders are also encouraged to submit feedback to the same email account on the qualities, characteristics and skills they would like to see in NU’s next leader.

Current President Hank Bounds announced in March his plans to step down late this summer after four years leading the NU system.