Chancellor Search

University of Wisconsin-Whitewater
Chancellor Search and Screen Committee Meeting
Thursday, January 24, 2008 – 7:45-9:50 AM
Carlson Hall, Room 4041

Committee Members Present: Jimmy W. Peltier (Chair), Dennis Baskin, Barbara Bren, John Chenoweth, Carolina Calvillo, Michael Cohen, Robert Douglas, Denise Ehlen, Zohreh Ghavamshahidi, Jenny Hanewall, Joseph Hogan, James Larson, Ann Ruff, Diana Rogers-Adkinson, Faye Skelton, John Stone, Susan Wildermuth

Committee Members Absent: Larry Kachel, Hephzibah Kumpaty, Tisa Mason, Manuel Ossers, Nicholas Santilli,

Guests: Chuck Bunting, Consulting Partner

Committee Administrative Assistant: Liz Stegemann

Introduction and address by Bunting (8:00-8:30)

  • Regarding the Search Committee Code of Ethics
    • Confidentiality means not only protecting the names of the potential chancellor candidates, but also protecting the thoughts and ideas expressed by committee members
    • Reminder that the Committee Chair (Peltier) should be the spokesperson for the committee
  • Regarding the Campus Profile
    • Includes the position description, the challenges currently faced by the university, and the qualities a chancellor candidate should possess
    • Used to recruit and arouse interest about the university among candidates
  • Regarding the search and screen process from this point forward
    • The search firm will help recruit applicants
    • Any nominations or ideas about sources for finding candidates should be shared directly with the firm via Bunting
    • The firm will receive the applications and put them on a secure web site for viewing by the Search and Screen Committee members.
    • The committee members will have about 3 weeks to review applications
    • The committee will meet to select the top 12 candidates who will be invited to interview in Milwaukee
    • After the interviews, the committee will select a subgroup of candidates that will be presented to Regents Committee
    • The final candidates will visit campus
    • Throughout the process the committee will keep the campus and community informed

Questions for Bunting from committee members (8:30-9:00)
Will the applicants invited to interview in Milwaukee be allowed to contact former UWW chancellors?

  • Yes

Will committee members have access to hard copies of the applications if they prefer?

  • Yes. They will be downloaded, printed, and placed in a secure room for viewing by committee members.

What is the firm's track record with recruiting and placing women and other minority groups?

  • Approximately 40-50% of the firm's placements are women or individuals belonging to other minority groups.

It is known that the Wisconsin System pays less than many other places. How will that impact the quality of the applicant pool?

  • Some potential candidates will be lost, but there will still be many high-quality applicants. Wisconsin has other selling points that will help attract candidates.

What is the average national tenure for a Chancellor?

  • 5 or 6 years, though it varies depending on the area and the type of institution

Does the firm recruit applicants who are not from an educational background?

  • Yes, and they have placed a few.

Does the firm aid in the decision-making process?

  • No. The main role of the firm is to inform the committee and serve as a resource. The committee members will make all decisions.

What is the link between the job announcement and the advertisement that is published?

  • There is a lot of overlap they should not contain any conflicting information. The advertisement is shorter.

Wrap-up of other committee actions and discussion of future agenda (9:00-9:50)

  • Minor changes to and approval of the job announcement. This will now be sent in to the System for approval.
  • Wording changes to and approval of the list of challenges.
  • Bunting will take the job announcement and the firm will create an advertisement for the position.
  • Peltier will create a survey that will be dispersed through email. Respondents will rank their top five challenges and their top five qualities.
  • Peltier will contact deans to gain more information regarding each specific colleges. Volunteers to stay in further contact with deans include:
    • College of Arts & Communications – Sue Wildermuth
    • College of Business & Economics – John Chenoweth
    • College of Letters & Sciences – Joe Hogan
    • College of Education - Diana Rogers-Adkinson
    • Graduate Studies and Continuing Education – John Stone
  • The committee will not meet next Monday, January 31. The next meeting time will be announced at a later date.

Notes taken by Committee Administrative Assistant: Liz Stegemann