With a recent announcement from the presidential search committee, Ohio University is one step closer to selecting its 21st president.
In a campus-wide email sent Wednesday, OU Board of Trustees Chair David Wolfort announced the 21-person committee has selected several candidates for further consideration by Witt/Kieffer, the executive search firm assisting the search committee for $150,000.
“In the meantime, we are making arrangements for visits to Athens by the finalist candidates in January,” Wolfort said in the email. “During these visits, the finalists will meet with representative groups on campus and each will participate in a public forum.”
Following the campus meetings, the Board of Trustees will make its final hiring decision.
Information pertaining to the selected candidates and scheduling of upcoming events will be released as it becomes available, according to the announcement. Although it is unclear as to how many candidates have been advanced, earlier reports indicate the number may range from eight to 10.
As of Nov. 28, the university had received 11 applications for the position. Of the individuals who applied, none currently serve as president of a university or institute of higher education.
The announcement comes just days after AGB Search, a higher education search firm in Washington, D.C., selected OU President Roderick McDavis as its new managing principal, a position he will assume March 1 — an earlier departure date than was originally anticipated. McDavis’ last day at OU will be Feb. 17. An interim president is expected to be announced during the January Board of Trustees meeting.
A worksheet from Witt/Kieffer, obtained through a public records request, states that the university’s next president will take office July 1.
