The University of California Board of Regents recently created five committees involved with the search for the new UC president, who will take office after Mark Yudof steps down from the position in August.
The UC Office of the President outlined in a press release on Friday the details of the months-long selection process, which will be headed by a committee of regents.
The new Special Committee to Consider the Selection of a President will “develop a plan to recruit, screen and interview applicants,” according to the press release.
Regents Chairwoman Sherry Lansing will also chair the committee, which first met early last week, according to the press release from the UC Office of the President. Other members of the committee include Regents Bruce Varner, Richard Blum, Russell Gould, Bonnie Reiss, George Keiffer and Fred Ruiz, Student Regent Jonathan Stein and Alumni Regent Ronald Rubenstein.
The regents committee plans to consult with constituent groups across all 10 university campuses to select the new president, though the decision will ultimately be up to the committee, according to the board’s bylaws.
The advisory groups include the Academic, Student, Staff and Alumni Advisory Committees. Each committee has appointed individuals from across the UC to help with the process.
Members of the UCLA community – including Frank Gilliam, dean of the UCLA Luskin School of Public Affairs, Randall Schnack, former chair of the UCLA Alumni Association and Tanya Williams, revenue manager at UCLA Conference Services – are among the members of the newly formed committees.
The Student Advisory committee is chaired by Raquel Morales, president of the UC Student Association. The association, which is comprised of representatives from the undergraduate and graduate student governments of all 10 UC campuses, advocates on students’ behalf.
National executive search firm Isaacson, Miller will work with the regents committee to identify potential candidates for the position.
“From what I understand, (Isaacson, Miller) will be doing the grunt work in the pursuit of qualified candidates,” said UC spokeswoman Brooke Converse.
Isaacson, Miller frequently works in higher education and has helped the UC fill other leadership positions in the past, the press release states. In addition to the search for the new UC president, the firm is currently involved with searches for executive directors of neuroscience and children’s health for UCLA Health Sciences Development and about a dozen other positions across the UC, according to their website. The firm declined to comment at this time.
Converse said members of the UC community can get involved in the presidential selection process by visiting the UC website and submitting their thoughts about selection criteria on a standard electronic form.
The regents committee expects to make a recommendation to the board at the regents’ bimonthly meeting in July, according to the University press release. Yudof will step down on August 31.