Note: Below is a message to the GMC community from the presidential search committee reporting progress on the College’s ongoing presidential search.
As the spring semester starts, it is our pleasure to provide the Green Mountain College community with an update on the search for our next president.
From the beginning, our Board of Trustees sought to have a presidential search process that was as inclusive as possible. We have followed what are considered to be best practices at private colleges. To recap our work thus far, here are a few of our major milestones:
Search firm selection. The Search Committee was charged with the task of identifying candidates for Board consideration. The first step was to engage the services of Storbeck/Pimentel & Associates, an executive search firm specializing in higher education executive recruitment. Storbeck is one of the leaders in the field and we have been working with them and following their advice on how to find the best presidential candidates for our College.
Search committee composition. The Board aimed for a Presidential Search Committee that was representative of all of the College’s stakeholders, including faculty, staff, students, alumni, parents, and trustees. Accordingly, our Search Committee includes six trustees (three of whom are alumni/ae), two faculty members and two staff members, selected by their peers, and the elected student government president, all of whom are passionate advocate for the College’s mission and potential. The Committee has been working collaboratively on all issues and has been making good progress.
Listening sessions. This fall, our consultant from Storbeck conducted extensive listening sessions and interviews with College stakeholders: full- and part-time faculty, students, staff, members of the Board of Trustees, and the cabinet. In addition, a community-wide electronic survey asked what background, qualities, and abilities should characterize our next president and what would be the major issues that person would be confronting. Many thoughtful comments were also received via the presidential search website. Several key themes emerged from these conversations, which were most helpful to the Committee’s drafting of the position profile.
Position profile. Based on the input from all stakeholders, the Committee then undertook the task of writing a position profile, which describes the challenges and opportunities facing the College and the qualities we seek in a person to move the College forward.
Recruiting. Our search firm reached out to its extensive network of educational and other leaders to solicit nominations and to recruit candidates. Members of the College community were also encouraged to suggest names or make formal nominations. We have been very pleased with the response to this opportunity, which resulted in a robust candidate pool.
Review of applications and initial interviews. The Committee has been reviewing candidates and selecting candidates for interviews to be conducted over the winter. Based on the talented candidates participating in our search, we have every confidence that we will find the right person to lead the College into the future.
Conclusion. We want to assure members of the Green Mountain College community that the Search Committee has been working diligently and that the search is on track and going well.
We look forward to providing you with further information about the search later this winter. In the meantime, we encourage you to continue sharing your thoughts and feedback with us confidentially via the presidential search website.
Sincerely,
Bob Charlebois and Deborah Granquist Co-Chairs of the Green Mountain College Presidential Search Committee
Presidential Search Committee Members
Robert Charlebois, Co-Chair, Trustee
Deborah Granquist, Co-Chair, Trustee
Dan DeClercq MBA ‘14, Trustee
Robert Ebling III, Trustee
Perez Ehrich, Trustee
Anna Whitcomb Knight ‘71, Trustee
Catherine Villafranco Parker ‘87, Trustee
Natalie Coe, Faculty
John Van Hoesen, Faculty
Ryan Ihrke, Staff
Paul Millette, Staff
Antoine Lucic, Student
Green Mountain College