CU regents continue progress on presidential search
The CU Board of Regents continues to be active with the presidential search, laying the groundwork for the process that is expected to formally begin in late summer or early fall.
Ahead of today’s regular board meeting, Chairman Glen Gallegos said the board has had executive session meetings to discuss the process, its component parts and a timeline.
“The presidential search is a top priority and the board intends to give it our full attention in the weeks and months ahead,” Gallegos said. “The regents have had great discussions already about how we will proceed.”
Gallegos also said the appointment of Todd Saliman as interim president will allow the regents to place a sharp focus on the search.
“We have every confidence that Todd will do a great job and we know he has the full support of the board, the administration and the chancellors and their teams,” he said.
The Board of Regents has the statutory authority and responsibility for selecting the next president.
“That is a responsibility we take extremely seriously,” Gallegos said.
The board agreed the search will be national in scope and that it will use a search firm identified through CU’s regular RFP process. It has yet to make decisions about a regent (or regents) to chair the search committee (per regent policy) or the search committee itself.
Gallegos also said Regent Policy 3.C will guide the search. The board is scheduled to introduce a notice of motion at its meeting today to make slight modifications to three areas of that policy: adding a provision for two regents to co-chair the search (which happened in the most recent presidential search); more clearly articulating the attributes and role of community members on a search committee; and allowing for the release of certain demographic data on candidates while also maintaining confidentiality of the pool. The motion will proceed through the ordinary governance process, with input from shared governance groups before any changes are formalized.
Regent Vice Chair Lesley Smith said the board is committed to transparency in the search while also noting there will be times when they will have to balance that with confidentiality of candidates. She also said the board will have regular communication with the university community through a continually updated website, as well as in-person engagement. The website is expected to post in the coming weeks.
“We fully understand that constituents inside and outside the university have a deep interest in this process and we intend to actively engage with them and hear their insight,” she said. “We also know the importance of connecting with our shared governance groups to get their input.”
Smith said the board is considering listening sessions on campuses and possibly beyond to gather input from faculty, staff, students and others.