On Dec. 6, 2022, the Board of Trustees at the University of Oregon unanimously approved a presidential profile, which will help guide the board’s selection of the university’s next president after former president Michael Schill announced he would leave in August 2022 for Northwestern University.
According to the profile, in order to ensure “success” in the position, the president should have a record of “successful executive leadership” through earning a doctorate or an appropriate terminal degree, strong ethical standards and strength of character, a record of leadership promoting racial equality and diversity, and executive leadership involving shared governance.
Among other criteria, the profile says the president should have the ability to develop a vision to move UO into the top 50 national universities, an understanding and appreciation of the complexities of a multi-union environment, an understanding of the value of a
strong Division I intercollegiate athletic program and a commitment to recruit and retain talented faculty and staff, especially those from underrepresented or marginalized backgrounds.
The profile was created over fall using information collected through student, staff and faculty forums and online surveys by Parker Executive Search and through campus engagement from the 22-member presidential search committee.
UO’s president serves as the university’s “chief executive officer, administrator, and advocate,” according to the profile.
“The president is kind of like a mayor. We are a small city with over 5,000 staff and faculty and over 20,000 students, and so they help set the tone for the culture that’s expected,” University Secretary and Advisor to the President Tim Inman said.
ASUO President and member of the Presidential Search Committee Luda Isakharov described the UO president as “the person that kind of creates one direction for the university and one vision and brings all that together.”
Now that the profile is public, applicants can apply for the position and students and others can submit recommendations for the position.
The profile also contains UO’s mission statement, purpose, values, vision and a variety of topics that represent the culture of UO.
To further give applicants an idea of UO, the profile has information about intercollegiate athletics, alumni, fundraising, new degrees since 2020, faculty diversity, UO’s different campuses, the Ballmer Institute for children’s behavioral health, graduation rates, career readiness and scholarships and financial aid.
The search committee is accepting and encouraging recommendations for the position, according to Around the O. The Search Committee will start reviewing submissions immediately until the position is filled, according to the profile.
Oregon State University, Portland State University and Eastern Oregon University have also experienced turnover this year, with each of their presidents announcing in 2022 they would leave.
OSU’s new president, Jayathi Murthy, is the university’s first president who is a woman of color.
Provost and Senior Vice President of the University, Patrick Phillips, has been interim president since August of 2022. The board will have a decision on its selection by next spring, according to UO.
