Central Michigan University announces deadlines for presidential search

Central Michigan University plans to select presidential candidates for the first round of interviews by August 7.

Trustee Denise Mallett, chair of the Presidential Search Advisory Committee, announced a revised search timeline at the June 25 Board of Trustees meeting.

Mallett said she was pleased with the progress of the search and shared the following new deadlines:

• Applicants must apply by July 24

• The first round of interviews with the 10 to 12 best candidates will take place between August 20 and 21.

• In September, interviews with three to four candidates will take place in the second round

The goal is to have a new president on campus by January 1, 2025, Mallett said.

“We are not in a hurry, we feel like we are on the right track and we will find someone,” she said. “We have a huge pool and we believe we will find talent. We are confident we will find someone.”

Mallett said applications have been received and about 63 candidates have been nominated for the role by their colleagues.

“The good news is there is interest out there,” she said.

CMU is using the services of Chicago-based executive search firm WittKieffer, Mallett said, and the estimated cost of finding a new president is $50,000.

The Presidential Search Advisory Committee consists of 20 members, according to the CMU website. These include faculty, staff, community partners, alumni and students.

“We are looking for talent that can meet the needs of the institution, but equally importantly, the needs of our community,” Mallett said.

To review the applications, the committee will also hear from Shawna Patterson Stephens, vice president of Inclusive Excellence and Belonging, at a July 23 meeting about how to conduct an unbiased and inclusive review of the applications, Mallett said.

“I think diversity benefits a lot of people in so many areas,” she said. “When I think of diversity, I think of … diversity of thought, diversity of experience. For example, if someone comes from an institution that is a different size … we allow for the talents that they can bring to us and keep ourselves open to that.”

Mallett said the committee is running ads in 10 different strategic media outlets to reach a diverse pool of candidates, including publications such as the Chronicle of Higher Education and Women in Higher Education.

“We don’t want to be the best-kept secret,” Mallett said. “We don’t want to have a great engineering program that nobody knows about… And I’m excited about the opportunity to find the person who… can build on our current success.”

There is now also a presidential profile that lists the desired qualities of the next president.

Some of the expectations for the new leadership are, according to the profile:

• Continue implementation of the strategic plan

• Increasing enrollment and financial opportunities

• Attracting and retaining highly qualified teachers and staff

• Improve marketing and branding

• Improving relations with the Saginaw Chippewa Indian Tribe

“We have so much to offer to so many students, to the globe, to the world,” Mallett said. “We plan to continue to spread the story of CMU in a very positive way. … I’m looking for a person who brings that optimism and passion to get people working, growing, developing and collaborating.”

According to the profile, the personal qualities CMU looks for in a president include leadership, team orientation, creativity and passion for higher education.

“We are approaching this search with caution,” Mallett said. “This will be a positive and wonderful change for the institution and the community. We are building on the success of all the presidents who … laid the foundation, and we want to go even stronger and make the CMU name known in the community and around the world.”

Outgoing President Bob Davies began his term in September 2018 and will have served more than six years when he resigns on Dec. 31. From now through 2026, CMU will pay Davies $1.25 million under an agreement he signed on Jan. 16. If a new president is appointed before Davies’s Dec. 31 departure, he will receive an additional $450,000. According to his contract, Davies will receive: