Forming the Committee
January 8, 2009
To the Williams Community,
I am happy to inform you of progress in the early stages of the presidential search process.
The Board of Trustees has formed the 2009 Presidential Search Committee. Its student members were selected with the help of Dean Karen Merrill. I would also like to thank Bill Wagner, Dean of the Faculty, for his guidance. I will have the privilege of chairing the Committee, whose other members are:
- Trustees: Valda Christian, David Coolidge, Michael Eisenson, Stephen Harty, Jonathan Kraft, Clayton Spencer
- Faculty and Staff: Andrea Danyluk, Laurie Heatherington, Stephen Fix, Protik Majumder, David Pilachowski
- Students: Alan Arias, Elizabeth Brickley
- Alumni: Sarah Underhill, Christopher Giglio
- Secretary: Charles Dew
As you can see from their background summaries, these individuals bring a wealth of involvement with and care for the College.
The Committee is charged with identifying the candidates best suited to lead Williams and to present a short list of nominees to the Board of Trustees, which makes the final selection. Along the way, the Committee will solicit input from the broad Williams community, decide on selection of a search firm, develop a summary of the attributes we desire in our next President, and identify and screen candidates. Importantly, the process will draw on the College’s recent Self Study for Accreditation and 2020 Planning Process as well as on the sense of the College community to articulate the kind of leadership Williams now needs. The Committee will hold its first meeting later this month and, among other tasks, will weigh the most effective ways to engage the community in these important discussions.
We will operate on the possibility of having the new President in place by this summer. If at some point that appears unlikely, the Board will consider the options for an interim arrangement.
Thanks to all who have shared their thoughts and encouragement. You will be hearing from us as the Committee’s work proceeds.
Sincerely,
Greg Avis ’80
Chairman of the Executive Committee of the Board of Trustees
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